Scombridae facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Scombridae |
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| Yellowfin tuna, Thunnus albacares | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Scombriformes |
| Suborder: | Scombroidei |
| Family: | Scombridae Rafinesque, 1815 |
| Subfamilies | |
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Gasterochismatinae |
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The Scombridae family includes many well-known fish like mackerel, tuna, and bonito. These fish are very important for food around the world. There are 51 different species in this family, grouped into 15 main types called genera.
Most of these species belong to a group called Scombrinae. But one special fish, the butterfly kingfish, is the only member of its own group, Gasterochismatinae.
Scombrid fish have two dorsal fins (fins on their back). They also have small finlets behind their back fin and their bottom fin. Their tail fin is very strong and split, with a thin, ridged base. The first spiny dorsal fin and the fins on their belly can usually be pulled back into grooves on their body. This helps them swim faster!
These fish come in many sizes. The smallest is the island mackerel, which is about 20 centimeters (8 inches) long. The biggest is the huge Atlantic bluefin tuna, which can be over 4.5 meters (15 feet) long!
Scombrids are usually predators that live in the open ocean. You can find them all over the world in warm and mild waters. They can swim incredibly fast because their bodies are very smooth and shaped like a torpedo. Their fins can also be pulled in, which helps them glide through the water.
Some scombrids, especially tunas, are special because they are partially warm-blooded. This means they can keep their body temperature higher than the water around them. This helps them stay active and swim fast for a long time. They also have a lot of red muscle, which gives them the energy to keep moving. For example, a yellowfin tuna can swim as fast as 22 kilometers per hour (14 mph)!
How Scombrids Are Grouped
Scientists who study how living things are grouped, called taxonomists, once divided these fish into four different families. But later, they decided that all of them belong to just one family: the Scombridae.
A report from the World Wildlife Fund and the Zoological Society of London in 2015 shared some important news. It said that the number of scombrid fish in the world dropped by 74% between 1970 and 2010. This shows how important it is to protect these amazing fish.
There are 51 living species of scombrids. They are divided into 15 genera and two main subfamilies. The Scombrinae subfamily is further split into four smaller groups called tribes:
- Family Scombridae
- Subfamily Gasterochismatinae
- Genus Gasterochisma
- Subfamily Scombrinae
- Tribe Scombrini – These are the mackerels
- Genus Rastrelliger
- Genus Scomber
- Tribe Scomberomorini – These are the Spanish mackerels
- Genus Acanthocybium
- Genus Grammatorcynus
- Genus Orcynopsis
- Genus Scomberomorus
- Tribe Sardini – These are the bonitos
- Genus Sarda
- Genus Cybiosarda
- Genus Gymnosarda
- Tribe Thunnini – These are the tunas
- Genus Allothunnus
- Genus Auxis
- Genus Euthynnus
- Genus Katsuwonus
- Genus Thunnus
- Tribe Scombrini – These are the mackerels
See also
In Spanish: Escómbridos para niños
