sailfish

sailfish

1. any of several large scombroid game fishes of the genus Istiophorus, such as I. albicans (Atlantic sailfish), of warm and tropical seas: family Istiophoridae. They have an elongated upper jaw and a long sail-like dorsal fin

2. another name for basking shark

Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

sailfish

[′sāl‚fish]

(vertebrate zoology)

Any of several large fishes of the genus Istiophorus characterized by a very large dorsal fin that is highest behind its middle.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Sailfish

 

(Istiophorus platypterus,) a fish of the family Xi-phiidae of the order Perciformes. The sailfish reaches a length of 3.3 m and a weight of 100 kg. The upper jaw is spearlike, and the dorsal fin is high and resembles a sail. The ventral fins are long. When the sailfish moves rapidly, all the fins fold into special cavities. To make sharp turns, the fish raises it dorsal fin upright. The sailfish inhabits tropical and subtropical waters of all oceans. It is most commonly encountered in coastal waters and is an object of commercial and sport fishing. The sailfish feeds on other fishes and squid.

The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.