Description
It is a streamlined, fast-swimming pelagic fish, common in tropical waters throughout the world, where it inhabits surface waters in large shoals (up to 50,000 fish), feeding on fish, crustaceans, cephalopods and molluscs. It is an important prey species for large pelagic fishes and sharks. It has no scales, except on the lateral line and the corselet (a band of large, thick scales forming a circle around the body behind the head). It commonly reaches fork lengths up to 80 centimetres (31 in) and a weight of 8–10 kilograms (18–22 lb). Its maximum fork length is 108 centimetres (43 in) and maximum weight is 34.5 kilograms (76 lb). Ageing skipjack tuna is difficult, and the estimates of its potential lifespan range between 8 and 12 years.
Skipjack tuna is a batch spawner. Spawning occurs year-round in equatorial waters, but it gets more and more seasonal further away from the equator. Fork length at first spawning is about 45 centimetres (18 in).
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