Atlantic Mackerel
Scomber scombrus
Wahoo
Acanthocybium solandri
About
The wahoo is a fast, torpedo-shaped predator of open tropical seas, usually around 170 cm long but reaching up to 250 cm and 83 kg. Prized by sport fishers for its speed, it is one of the ocean's quickest hunters.
Also known as: wahoo fish, pacific king-fish, wahoo, queen fish, malata kingfish, mackerel, kingfish, queen-fish, pike mackerel, mongrel mackerel, jack mackerel, bastard mackerel, king fish
- Length
- 1.7 m · max 2.5 m
- Weight
- max 83 kg
- Depth
- 0–12 m
How to tell it apart
It can be mistaken for a king or Spanish mackerel, but its jaws look noticeably sharper-edged than either mackerel's - the clearest way to tell them apart.
Appearance
This fish has a long, streamlined body with an iridescent bluish-green back and silvery sides marked by numerous narrow, cobalt-blue vertical bars that reach below the lateral line, the faint sensory stripe along its flank. The mouth is large, armed with sharp, triangular, saw-edged teeth. These bright colours fade fast once the fish dies.
Habitat
Wahoo are found worldwide in tropical and subtropical seas, across the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans. They usually stay near the surface, down to about 12 m and occasionally to 20 m, and are typically solitary or in small loose groups, though large schools of 100 or more can form where conditions are right.
Did you know?
Most wahoo carry a large parasitic worm, the giant stomach worm, living in their stomach, though it does not seem to harm the fish.
Log it in Into the Blue
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