Atlantic sailfish

돛새치

One of the fastest fish in the sea, raising a huge sail-like dorsal fin. Groups herd sardine schools into tight balls, then slash through them with their long bills and snap up the stunned fish one by one.

See it on the 3D globe →

At a glance

Class: Fish
Lives in: Tropical Atlantic
Diet: Fish eater
Lifespan: up to about 15 years
Conservation status: Least Concern (IUCN LC)
Habitat: open ocean

Quick answers

Where does the Atlantic sailfish live?

It lives in the open ocean of the Atlantic Ocean. On the globe you can find it near Tropical Atlantic.

What does the Atlantic sailfish eat?

Its diet: fish eater.

How long does the Atlantic sailfish live?

It can live up to about 15 years.

Is the Atlantic sailfish endangered?

It is listed as Least Concern (IUCN LC).

The Atlantic sailfish is a large, fast fish of the open Atlantic and the Caribbean. It has a long, pointed bill, a deeply forked tail and, most famously, a huge sail-like fin on its back that it can raise. The back is dark blue-black, the sides are lighter with about twenty bluish bars, and the belly is silvery white.

It is one of the fastest fish. Old tests in the 1920s guessed it could sprint up to 111 kilometres per hour, but more careful estimates are about 37 to 55 kilometres per hour, and recent studies suggest less than about 36. It grows to about 3.15 metres long and up to 58 kilograms. It lives in warm waters of the Atlantic from the surface down to about 200 metres. The IUCN lists it as Least Concern.

Hunting in teams

Sailfish hunt schools of sardines, anchovies and mackerel, and they also eat squid and crustaceans. Researchers have seen sailfish use stealth and quick slashes or taps with the bill to stun small prey. Groups of sailfish may herd a school into a tight ball before attacking. The exact role of the long bill is still debated, since scientists have also suggested that it helps the fish swim smoothly or scares away predators.

Wide-ranging swimmer

The Atlantic sailfish is a migratory fish. It ranges from roughly 40 degrees north to 40 degrees south in the western Atlantic, and it sometimes enters the Mediterranean Sea. It is related to marlins. Some experts treat the Atlantic and Indo-Pacific sailfish as one single species, so the exact number of sailfish species is still discussed. It lives at depths from the warm surface waters down to about 200 metres.

Fun facts

Sailfish often hunt in groups, herding sardines into tight balls and slashing at them with their bills.
Its sail-like dorsal fin can be raised like a flag.
Sailfish sometimes herd sardines into a tight ball before attacking.
Its top speed is debated: early tests said 111 km/h, but careful studies show much slower.