| Identification
& Biology: |
Body color of this fish is blue-green above and lighter below.
The body is marked with numerous, wavy, darker, vertical bars.
The body is very elongated and streamlined. Wahoo reach over
7 feet long and grow quickly, especially in their first year
after hatching. What little research is available suggests
that their life span is at least 5 years, and they become
large enough to spawn between 34 to 41 inches long. A total
of 45 million eggs were counted from an 87-pound female. Wahoo
are almost totally fish-eaters. Research done in North Carolina
showed that fish accounted for over 97% of their diet and
that invertebrates such as squid made up the rest of their
total food. Fish consumed include mackerels, butterfishes,
porcupine fishes, round herrings, scads, jacks, pompanos,
and flying fish. Unlike the other members of the mackerel/tuna
family which school or at least form small groups, wahoo are
either solitary or found in very small, loosely associated
groups. |
