Swordfish Skull Replica

Description

Swordfish Skull Replica measures 24.0 x 5.0 x 5.0 inches. Xiphias gladius is museum-quality polyurethane resin cast. 2-part skull (separate cranium and mandible). 1:1 scale. Made in USA. Also known as the Broadbill Swordfish. Weight is 2.0 lbs. Shipping weight is 15 lbs. due to length.

Swordfish are elongated, round-bodied, and lose all teeth and scales by adulthood. These fish are found widely in tropical and temperate parts of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans, and can typically be found from near the surface to a depth of 1,800 feet. They commonly reach 10 feet in length, and the maximum reported is 14 ft. 11 in. in length and 1,430 lb. in weight.

Females are larger than males, and Pacific Swordfish reach a greater size than northwest Atlantic and Mediterranean swordfish.

They reach maturity at 4 to 5 years of age and the maximum age is believed to be at least 9 years. The oldest swordfish found in a recent study were a 16-year-old female and 12-year-old male. Swordfish ages are derived, with difficulty, from annual rings on fin rays rather than otoliths, since their otoliths are small in size.

Swordfish are ectothermic animals; along with some species of sharks, they have special organs next to their eyes to heat their eyes and brains.

Their eyes are heated to temperatures measured between 10 to 15 °C (18 to 27 °F) above the surrounding water temperature, this heating greatly improves their vision, and consequently improves their ability to catch prey. The swordfish is one of 22 fish, including the marlin, tuna, and some sharks, known to have a mechanism that conserves heat.

Scientific Classification

• Kingdom: Animalia
• Phylum: Chordata
• Class: Actinopterygii
• Order: Istiophoriformes
• Family: Xiphiidae Swainson, 1839
• Genus: Xiphias Linnaeus, 1758
• Species: X. gladius
• Binomial name: Xiphias gladius
• Conservation status: Near Threatened