Blue Whale in Costa Rica
October 30th, 2012
An interestingly named fish in Costa Rica’s waters, the Horse-Eyed Fish is also known as the big-eye fish in a lot of local areas. The scientific name given to this fish is Caranx latus. Carangidae is the family of fish species that the Horse-Eye fish belongs to. It is knows as a commercial and game fish in most areas around the world. It is called the big-eye jack colloquially because of its protruding eyes that are very prominent on its relatively smaller head. The head of the Horse-Eye jack is sharp in angles and the bones of its face are prominently defined. The Horse-Eye jack feeds on small fish found throughout the Pacific Ocean. Shrimps and crabs along with small crustaceans are the preferred food for a Horse-Eye jack. Other names given to the Horse-Eye jack are black jack, cabalis, false jack, Gallegos, horse eyes, horse eye jacks, yellowjack.
Lengthwise, the Horse-Eye jack can reach up to 100 cm and the maximum it can weigh is 13.4 kg. The dorsal spines located on the Horse-Eye jack’s body are about 8 – 9 in number. The soft rays are approximately 20 – 22 located on the Horse-Eye jack’s small body. There are a couple of anal spines and about 17 anal soft rays. The pectoral fins are clear of any spots or markings and are remarkably well constructed in shape. Their bony plates are blackish in color or sometimes even stone gray. The tail fin on the body of the Horse-Eye jack is yellow in color. The younger Horse-Eye jacks are brighter in color and have broad stripes across their bodies which are very dark in color.
The Horse-Eye jacks are similar in shape to other fish in the Cardingae family but the main difference lies in the shape of their heads. The head of the Horse-Eye jack is sharper and more pronounced in shape as compared to other fish in the same family. The fins of the Horse-Eye jack are darker in color and some of these even have pure black fins. The Horse-Eye fish is known as the big-eye fish mostly because of its bulging and prominent eyes which are located front and center of the fish’s head. The Pacific Ocean and Costa Rica are host to schools of Horse-Eye jacks which can be found at a depth of 10 – 20 m in the ocean. If these fish inhabit the reefs found offshore, they may be found at an even greater depth of 140 m. The baby Horse-Eye jacks are also found on sandy areas within the Costa Rica seas and ocean along with the beaches present in the area. Muddy waters can also be seen hosting schools of Horse-Eye jacks in their depths. They have a friendly and curious attitude towards divers and interact well with them. Some Horse-Eye jacks prefer living in more salty water as opposed to the freshwater most species prefer inhabiting. Since the Horse-Eye jacks are very popular as meals on the tables of most fishermen, their species may become extinct very soon.
Video with Horse-Eye Jacks
Reference
http://marinebio.org/species.asp?id=291
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