Scientific Classification
- Common Name
- crevalle jack
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Osteichthyes
- Order
- Perciformes
- Family
- Carangidae
- Genus Species
- Caranx hippos
Fast Facts
- Description
- Silver body with black spot on gill plate edge (parallel to eye) and black blotch at base of pectoral fin. Single dorsal fin and anal fin are set just past mid-point of body. Both dorsal and anal fin are relatively narrow, falcate structures. Pronounced keel is found along either side of the narrow caudal peduncle. Deeply centrally cleft (lunate) caudal fin.
- Size
- 30.5 to 76.2 cm (1 to 2.5 ft) avg; 124 cm (4.1 ft) max
- Weight
- 32 kg (70.5 lbs.) max
- Diet
- Smaller fish, shrimp, crabs, and other invertebrates
- Incubation
- Species exhibits dioecism. Fertilization is external. Species is open water/substratum egg scatterer. Spawning occurs primarily in the spring.
- Sexual Maturity
- 55 to 65 cm (22 to 26 in.) total body length
- Range
- Western Atlantic: Nova Scotia to Gulf of Mexico and Uruguay, including Greater Antilles
Eastern Atlantic: Portugal to Angola, including western Mediterranean
- Habitat
- 1 to 350 meters (3 to 1150 ft) in tropical & sub-tropical open and coastal marine and brackish waters
- Population
- Global: No data
- Status
- IUCN: Not listed
CITES: Not listed
USFWS: Not listed
Fun Facts
- The crevalle jack is a prey item for various surface-feeding carnivores, such as finfish (i.e. striped marlin, Tetrapturus audax) and sea birds.
- The crevalle jack is capable of producing croaking sounds by grinding its teeth together while releasing gas from its air bladder.
- The Florida fishing record for the crevalle jack is 23.1 kg (51 lbs.).
- Schools of crevalle jacks have been observed to corner and/or corral smaller baitfish. Once contained, the jacks will feed on the baitfish with great voraciousness. Their surface feeding commotion may be seen from a great distance - often appearing as boiling or churning surface waters.
- For more information about bony fishes, explore the Bony Fishes InfoBook.
Ecology and Conservation
The crevalle jack is a relevantly unimportant commercial fish species. Never the less, they are fished commercially throughout the year in southwest Florida, and in the spring, fall, and summer in the Gulf of Mexico.
Crevalle jacks are an important sport fish, and are exploited throughout their range. They are the most common large jack caught off the west coast of Florida.
Bibliography
Bond, Carl E. Biology of Fishes - Second Edition. Saunders College Publishing, 1996.
Humann, Paul. Reef Fish Identification - Florida, Caribbean, Bahamas. New World Publications, Inc., 1992.
fishbase.org
tpwd.state.tx.us
flmnh.ufl.edu
