The order Blue Marlin

The largest and most spectacular of order the billfish, The Blue Marlin is well adapted for sustained, high-speed swimming. It's extremely muscular body is superbly streamlined, and it's powerful tail generates enormous thrust, allowing it to swim fast tirelessly. The pelvic and pectoral fins fold into grooves in the body to enhance streamlining. The species is also highly acrobatic, sometimes leaping a metre or more clear of the water surface. These qualities make is a very popular gamefish. It also makes good eating and is heavily fished in many parts of its range. The Blue Marlin are generally solitary and hunt by day in surface waters. Certain populations appear to show a marked preference for open, deep water. Swipes of the bill are used to stun prey. The Blue Marlin sometimes work cooperatively when hunting and in the excitement some of the colours on the body appear to' light up' as the pigment cells glow under nervous stimulation.