Marlin

For other uses, see Marlin (disambiguation).
Marlin
Atlantic blue marlin (Makaira nigricans)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Perciformes
Family: Istiophoridae
Rafinesque, 1810
Genera

A marlin is a fish from the family Istiophoridae, which includes about 10 species. It has an elongated body, a spear-like snout or bill, and a long, rigid dorsal fin which extends forward to form a crest. Its common name is thought to derive from its resemblance to a sailor's marlinspike.[1] Even more so than their close relatives, the scombrids, marlins are fast swimmers, reaching speeds of about 80 km/h (50 mph).[2][3]

The larger species include the Atlantic blue marlin, Makaira nigricans, which can reach 5 m (16.4 ft) in length and 818 kg (1,803 lb) in weight[4] and the black marlin, Istiompax indica, which can reach in excess of 5 m (16.4 ft) in length and 670 kg (1,480 lb) in weight. They are popular sporting fish in tropical areas.

Classification

The marlins are perciform fish, most closely related to the swordfish and Scombridae.

Timeline of genera

Quaternary Neogene Paleogene Holocene Pleistocene Pliocene Miocene Oligocene Eocene Paleocene Makaira Istiophorus Tetrapterus Quaternary Neogene Paleogene Holocene Pleistocene Pliocene Miocene Oligocene Eocene Paleocene

In literature

A taxidermy marlin greets visitors to Dare County, North Carolina.

In the Nobel Prize-winning author Ernest Hemingway's 1952 novel The Old Man and the Sea, the central character of the work is an aged Cuban fisherman who, after 84 days without success on the water, heads out to sea to break his run of bad luck. On the 85th day, Santiago, the old fisherman, hooks a resolute marlin; what follows is a great struggle between man, sea creature, and the elements.

Frederick Forsyth's story The Emperor, in the collection No Comebacks, tells of a bank manager named Murgatroyd who catches a marlin and is acknowledged by the islanders of Mauritius as a master fisherman.

See also

References

Notes

  1. ↑ Douglas Harper (November 2001). "marlin". Online Etymological Dictionary.
  2. ↑ Johnson, G.D. & Gill, A.C. (1998). Paxton, J.R. & Eschmeyer, W.N., eds. Encyclopedia of Fishes. San Diego: Academic Press. pp. 190–191. ISBN 0-12-547665-5.
  3. ↑ "The World's Fastest Fish".
  4. ↑ "Makaira nigricans, Blue marlin  : fisheries, gamefish". FishBase.

Sources

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Istiophoridae.
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