The speedy blue fin tuna jumps out of the sea, often in the attempt to catch their prey.
WWF. (2019). Retrieved from https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/bluefin-tuna
Blue Planet II: The Rarely Witnessed “Boiling Sea” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqGfaUF0_c8
The Atlantic bluefin tuna is quite the large, voracious, and speedy predator. They can reach speeds up to 43 mph! Maintaining such speeds and being able to chase after their prey like this is indeed a fin-tastic feat! The key to their success within the vast open ocean is their speed, way of locomotion, and the unique shape of their body. They have a thunniform (teardrop) shaped body as well as a thunniform way of locomotion. The presentation of the body is no mistake, the small, sleek fins allow for less drag/friction, but still leaves room for exact control of direction. Coupled with the minimalistic way of locomotion, great for long distance swimming, the body of the tuna is perfect for a swift swimmer.
As the tuna family shares this similar trait of sleek, agile bodies, and unique form of locomotion, this hints at an ancestral linkage of quick, long-distance predators. A great example of how effective they are can also be seen in the Blue Planet II clip, where they work with other predators to effectively hunt their prey with their “crystallized” skills. This species has few predators of its own, mostly being other large fish like sharks, or large aquatic mammals like the orca. However, this innate skill to be fast can aid them in predator-prey relations of all types. Plus, because their habitat is often the deep or open ocean, the ability to swim quickly in long distances is a useful and possibly life saving skill. It is very likely that this skill was built up over many generations due to the need for haste travel.
Unfortunately, the key to insane amounts of speed cannot only be obtained through sleek appearances! But that will be another post for another day…
Citations:
National Geographic. (2015). “Atlantic Bluefin Tuna.” Retrieved from https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/fish/a/atlantic-bluefin-tuna/.
WWF. (2019). Retrieved from https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/bluefin-tuna.
Hawkins, JD; Sepulveda, CA; Graham, JB; Dickson, KA (2003). “Swimming performance studies on the eastern Pacific bonitoSarda chiliensis, a close relative of the tunas (family Scombridae) II. Kinematics”. The Journal of Experimental Biology. 206 (16): 2749–2758.
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