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Species: Caranx hippos, Crevalle jack

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oblong
operculum - black spot
pectoral: black blotch
chest & pectoral base scaleless
LL scutes 23-25
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This Species (17) This Genus (6) Similar Species (7)

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Caranx hippos (Linnaeus, 1766)

Crevalle jack

Body oblong, moderately compressed in adults; top jaw reaching to under or past rear edge of eye; top jaw with an outer row of strong canines and an inner band of fine teeth; lower jaw with one row of teeth; 16-19 lower gill rakers;  margin of body at rear of gill chamber without papillae; pectoral fins longer than head; dorsal (VIII + I, 19-21) and anal (II+I, 16-17), front lobes of both fins distinctly raised; no finlets after 2nd dorsal and anal fins; tail base slender; tail strongly forked; straight rear part (but not curved front part) of lateral line with 23-25 scutes (large, hard spiny scales); breast and pectoral base without scales, except small patch of scales between pelvics; tail base with a pair of keels on each side.

Body greenish to bluish to bluish black above, white below; a large black spot at top corner of operculum; a large round black spot on lower front edge of pectoral fin; juveniles with ~5 dark bars on body.

Reaches 124 cm; 32 kg.

Over soft and seagrass bottoms, less common around reefs; in brackish water and enters freshwater; larger fish mainly in deep water; juveniles in  estuaries and seagrass beds.

Depth range: 0-350 m.

Nova Scotia to Uruguay.

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Species Data Create Report Export as Word File Export as Excel File
Salinity
  • Marine
  • Brackish
  • Freshwater
Inshore/Offshore
  • Inshore Only
  • Inshore
Water Column Position
  • Near Surface
  • Mid Water
  • Near Bottom
  • Bottom
  • Bottom + water column
  • Surface
Habitat
  • Mud
  • Submerged vegetation
  • Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
  • Water column
  • Estuary
  • Freshwater
  • Sand & gravel
FishBase Habitat
  • Reef Associated
  • Bentho-Pelagic
Feeding Group
  • Data
  • Carnivore
Diet
  • Data
  • Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
  • Bony fishes
Egg Type
  • Data
  • Pelagic
  • Pelagic larva
Global Endemism
  • West Atlantic Endemic
  • All species.
  • Greater Caribbean non-endemic
Regional Endemism
  • All species..
  • Island (s)
  • Continent
  • Continent + Island (s)
  • Extends North of GC
  • GC non-endemic
  • Extends South of GC
  • Extends N + S of GC
  • Also in Brazil
Residency
  • Resident
Climate Zone
  • Equatorial (0-10N, Costa Rica / Venezuela)
  • Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
  • Tropical (10-23N, Nicaragua / Cuba)
  • Temperate (>35N)
IUCN Red List
  • Least concern
  • Listed
CITES
  • Not listed
Length Max
  • 124
Depth Range Min
  • 0
Depth Range Max
  • 350