Discover the Sea's Secrets: Top 11 Amazing and Fun Facts About Tuna You Never Knew!

1. Tuna's First-Class Jetsetter Lifestyle

If tunas had frequent swimmer miles, they'd be traveling in first class all the time: these fishy jet-setters can be born in the Gulf of Mexico, cross the entire Atlantic for a European culinary adventure, then swim back to their birthplace just to make baby tunas.
Source => worldwildlife.org

2. Granny Sweaters and Tuna's Temperature Tricks

What do Pacific bluefin tuna and our beloved granny sweaters have in common? They both keep things warm and toasty at startlingly varying temperatures! The kicker: These feisty fish can crank up their core temp by a jaw-dropping 20°C above the surrounding water, and still somehow manage to keep their hearts pumping – even when it drops by 15°C during chilly deep dives – all thanks to some fancy adrenaline-fueled zero-to-hero cardiac adjustments.
Source => manchester.ac.uk

Did you know that swordfish have their own premium engine oil to help them reach astonishing speeds of 60 mph in the ocean? Find out more about this fishy speedster's unique features! 🐟💨

=> Fun Facts about Swordfish

3. No Name Team's Record-Breaking Tuna Catch

Hook, line, and thinker: the No Name fishing team embarked on a Jaws-dropping adventure and reeled in a whopper of an achievement. Their titan of a tuna tipped the scales at 832.2 pounds – potentially smashing the Florida state record – after a herculean 4 1/2 hour struggle and a 160-mile odyssey. Now, that's what we call a fish tale!
Source => miamiherald.com

4. Yellowfin Tuna's Speedy Growth Spurt

Time to tip the scales and reel in an oceanic surprise: Yellowfin tuna can grow up to a whopping 200 pounds in just seven years, making them one of the fastest growing turners of the tides in the tuna family, with over 100 species swimming about and schooling us on the art of angling!
Source => sportfishingmag.com

5. Atlantic Bluefin Tuna's Gourmet Menu

When tuna attend their underwater dinner parties, they're not exactly shouting, "waiter, there's a krill in my soup!": In reality, Atlantic bluefin tuna prefer to snack on a scrumptious menu of herring, anchovy, sand lance, sardine, sprat, bluefish, and mackerel as adults, while the juvenile foodies munch on crustaceans, fish, and cephalopods.
Source => biologicaldiversity.org

6. Bluefin Tuna's Built-In Thermostat

Who needs a thermostat when you're a fish? Bluefin tuna have got it all figured out: Using a countercurrent exchanger, they can regulate their body temperature up to ten degrees above or below the water's temperature, giving them an all-season pass to cold-water hunting grounds.
Source => americanoceans.org

7. Tuna: The Nonstop Swimmer

Forrest Gump would have a run for his money if he were up against a tuna fish, as these aquatic athletes keep on swimming all day, every day: Obligate ram ventilators, tunas must swim nonstop to maintain oxygen flow over their gills, making them masters of long-distance swimming and relentless hunters.
Source => poseidonsweb.com

8. Tuna: Speed Demons of the Sea

Strap on your fins and get ready to eat their bubbles, because tunas are the Usain Bolts of the deep blue sea: These speedy fish can reach speeds up to 50 miles per hour and even migrate thousands of miles in search of grub and love.
Source => iopscience.iop.org

9. Bluefin Tuna: Rally Car Drivers of the Ocean

Consider the Bluefin Tuna the Speedy Gonzales of fish - quick, cunning, and swift enough to make a rally car driver envious: These aquatic athletes are warm-blooded, a unique trait they share with the mackerel shark, allowing them to migrate across wide ranges of water temperatures and become championship swimmers in the ocean.
Source => fishingbooker.com

10. Tuna: The Iron Man of the Fish World

Tuna are basically the Marvel superheroes of the fish world, with built-in biological heating systems that would make Iron Man jealous: Bluefin tuna generate heat through their core muscles while swimming, allowing them to maintain a high body temperature, swim efficiently, and catch prey in cold water, all thanks to a circulatory system that directs warm blood to their core muscles and cools surface blood.
Source => bioweb.uwlax.edu

11. NOAA's Olympic Tagging Program for Fish

Ever wondered where Nemo's tuna cousins go to put on their track and field jerseys? Well, wonder no more: For over six decades, NOAA Fisheries' Cooperative Tagging Program has been putting their own spin on "catch and release" by equipping over 270,000 fish of 70 different species – including our beloved tuna – with special tags for the Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean sports arenas, courtesy of recreational anglers, commercial fishermen, and organizations eager to help out in the name of science!
Source => fisheries.noaa.gov