Striped Marlin (Kajikia audax)
Family: Billfish Family (Istiophoridae)
IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern
Like other members of the billfish family (named for their long, bony, beak-like snouts, which make their bodies streamlined and can be used to slash or impale small prey) Striped Marlins are large (reaching lengths of over 3m/10ft,) agile and extremely fast, reportedly reaching speeds of up to 50mph in short bursts. Typically found near the surface in open regions of the Pacific and Indian Oceans, members of this species use their speed, alongside their well-developed sense of sight and fast reflexes, to hunt large squids and smaller fish (especially those that gather in large schools, such as Australian Pilchards,) typically accelerating into schools of prey and flailing their bills in sharp horizontal slashes, wounding any suitably-sized animals in their path which they will then swallow whole. Though generally disinterested in other members of their species throughout most of the year Striped Marlins actively gather in large groups during the breeding season (which begins in the summer, during early November throughout much of their range,) with females releasing as many as 20 million tiny gelatinous eggs which males rush to externally fertilize. Fertilized eggs will hatch into tiny plankton-eating larvae, and while the vast majority of these larvae will not survive to adulthood those that do reach maturity (which occurs at around 2 years of age,) will face little predation as adults, serving as tertiary consumers (apex predators) in most food chains in which they appear. In parts of their range Striped Marlins are occasionally caught to be eaten, but they are more often hunted recreationally by those who regard them as a challenge owing to their speed and size; while recreationally hunted marlins are usually thrown back, injuries they receive during capture often leave them vulnerable to infection or unable to hunt. While Striped Marlin populations are believed to be declining, the species is not currently thought to be threatened.
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