Atlantic saury facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Atlantic saury |
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The Atlantic saury (Scomberesox saurus) is a cool fish that lives in the Atlantic Ocean. It's part of the Scomberesocidae family. You can find it in many places. It lives from Canada all the way down to Bermuda and North Carolina. In the eastern Atlantic, it swims from Iceland to Morocco. It also lives in the Mediterranean Sea, the Adriatic Sea, and the Aegean Sea.
What Does the Atlantic Saury Look Like?
The Atlantic saury is a long, thin fish. It has a very long, beak-like mouth with tiny teeth. These fish usually grow to about 35 cm (14 in) long. The biggest ones can be up to 50 cm (20 in) long.
They have a row of small finlets behind their back fin (dorsal fin) and their belly fin (anal fin). They look a bit like garfish. However, Atlantic sauries have much smaller teeth. These fish live close to the water's surface. They often jump out of the water!
Where Do Atlantic Sauries Live?
The Atlantic saury is found naturally in the northern Atlantic Ocean. You can see them off the coast of North America. This includes areas from the Gulf of Saint Lawrence down to North Carolina and Bermuda. They also live off the coast of Western Europe.
Sometimes, they are seen further north. This includes places like Iceland, Norway, Denmark, and the British Isles. They have even been spotted in the Baltic Sea. But their main home is further south in the Atlantic. They also live in the Mediterranean Sea, including the Adriatic and Aegean Seas. You can find them near the coasts of Tunisia and Morocco too. They usually swim at depths down to about 30 meters (98 ft).
How Do Atlantic Sauries Live?
Atlantic sauries like to live in groups. They eat tiny sea creatures called zooplankton. They also eat baby fish (fish larvae). Many bigger fish hunt them for food. These include tuna, marlin, bluefish, and cod.
These fish travel a lot. They move closer to the shore during the summer. Later in the year, they swim back out into deeper water. They lay their eggs near the surface in the open ocean. Their eggs have tiny threads attached to them. These eggs float freely in the water. Young sauries live in warm, mid-ocean waters. When they are young, their jaws are short. But as they grow, their jaws get longer and longer.
