Giant fish
Most of the fish you see are probably no more than a foot or two (30-60
centimeters) in length. But some fish are giants.
Some of the biggest fish are sharks. The very biggest fish in the ocean
is the whale shark. This monster may grow to a length of sixty feet (18
meters). And it may weigh as much as 30,000 pounds (14,000 kilograms).
That’s as big, or bigger, than most of the dinosaurs were!
Great white sharks are sometimes twenty feet (6 m) long. Tiger sharks
often reach a length of eighteen feet (5.4 m). And a great hammerhead
reaches a length of fifteen feet (4.6 m) or more.
One of the biggest of all fish is the devilfish, or manta ray. This fish
looks like some sort of weird, flying creature. Its side fins are like
big, triangle-shaped wings, which it actually “flaps” as it swims. From
fin tip to fin tip, a manta ray may measure almost twenty-two feet (7
m). Its broad, flat body may weigh up to 3,500 pounds (1,575 kg).
Despite its name and great size, the devilfish is harmless to people and
most fish. It eats tiny shrimps and crabs, and very small fish.
The bluefin tuna is another very large fish. Its bulky, but streamlined,
body sometimes reaches fourteen feet (4.2 m) or more in length. It may
weigh as much as 1,800 pounds (810 kg).
You’ve probably eaten canned tuna in a salad or sandwich. Smaller kinds
of tuna, such as the yellowfin and albacore [(al]{.smallcaps} buh kawr),
are usually used for canning.
The big ocean sunfish seems to be all head, which is why it’s sometimes
called a headfish. This huge, flat, nearly circle-shaped fish may be ten
feet (3 m) long and weigh more than 1,000 pounds (450 kg). The ocean
sunfish has tough, leathery skin, with three inches (7.5 cm) of hard
gristle under it. The skin and gristle are like a suit of armor and can
even stop a rifle bullet.
