Sailfish takes a Selfie Trivia Quiz

Answer: Gnomefish

A gnomefish is a fish in the Scombropidae family in the Perciformes order of fish. A gnomefish does not have a contain a proximal rostrum known as a bill.

Answer: Istiophorus

A sailfish is one of the four genera belonging to the Istiophoridae family in the Perciformes order. The sailfish's genus is Istiophorus.

Answer: Atlantic sailfish and Indo-Pacific sailfish

Sailfish are saltwater fish. Sailfish reside in warm and temperate ocean waters. The species Istiophorus albicans is known as the Atlantic sailfish because it is found in the Atlantic ocean. The species Istiophorus platypterus is known as the Indo-Pacific sailfish because it is found in the Indian or Pacific Ocean.

Answer: three meters

A fully mature sailfish is generally three meters or ten feet in length. A fully mature sailfish weighs between fifty and one hundred kilograms.

Answer: blue with black spots

The body of a sailfish ranges in color from dark blue to gray. The underbelly of a sailfish is brown, silver or white.

The sail-like dorsal fin in a sailfish is most commonly blue featuring black spots. When faced with danger or predatory opportunity, the color of the sail-like dorsal fin can change to yellow, purple, silver or pink.

Answer: carnivorous

Sailfish have a carnivorous diet. They feed on smaller bony fish such as sardines, anchovies, mackerel and tuna. Sailfish shepherd these fish using their sails. Sailfish also feast on marine creatures such as squid and octopus.

Answer: 110 kilometers per hour

The sailfish's jet-like bill, strong backbone and crescent-shaped tail allows the sailfish to be one of the fastest traveling creatures in the sea. The sailfish has been clocked at traveling 110 kilometers per hour (68 miles per hour).

Answer: pelagic zone

Sailfish live in offshore waters which are not near the bottom of the body of water. This area is termed the pelagic zone.

Answer: spring summer autumn

Sailfish begin the reproduction process in April. Most of the reproduction activity occurs during summer months, and some takes place in the autumn (fall) too.

The female sailfish swims near land slowly with her dorsal fin sticking up above the surface of the water. A male sailfish follows the female. The male sailfish swims upside down under female as she releases over four million eggs. The offspring will hatch from the egg at the end of the summer.

Answer: yes

Due to their great speed as well as their pelagic and highly migratory nature, sailfish are considered highly prized game fish.

When hooked, sailfish will fight vigorously. Sailfish leap and dive repeatedly when hooked. Some sailfish are known to cut the fishing line with their bills. Thus, the difficulty in reeling a sailfish also makes them highly prized game fish.