Subject: Re: Fastest Sea Creature?

From: [email-masked] (Susan L. Hughes)
Date: Wed, 27 Mar 1996 01:20:55 -0600

In article <[email-masked]>, [email-masked] (Flip214) wrote:

> I also can't recite my source but I seem to recall sailfish topping out
> around 50 kts.  I'm pretty certain the Wahoo is the fastest fish in the
> ocean  with speeds reported to be over 70 kts.  I know they are faster
> than sailfish.
> Greg

How fast are tuna? I recall a _Scientific American_ article marveling
about the blue fin's ability to "jet propel" water through its gills.  I
can't remember how fast they actually got.  Maybe they just have a high
cruising speed.

Susan.

-- 
Susan L. Hughes
Northwestern University
[email-masked]

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From: Patrick Jonke <pjonke>
Date: 26 Mar 1996 01:25:44 GMT

My housemate and I were discussing the car commercial in which it is 
claimed that the cheetah is the "fastest creature on Earth".

I said the statement is obviously wrong, as swifts can easily top 100 mph 
in a dive, but my housemate (who must have a bit of lawyer in him) says a 
flying bird is not technically "on Earth". 

However, he then went on to say that sailfish are known to hit speeds up 
to 80 knots. I disputed this claim, as it seemed to me that:

A) due to increasing drag, the tremendous energy required to go that fast 
in water would far exceed the additional calories the sailfish could gain 
>from  whatever additional prey it obtained, and,

B) Only the largest sailfish could reach that speed, if at all, and 
full-grown, healthy sailfish have no predators to chase them.

As evidence, I introduced the 1996 edition of the Guiness Book of 
Records, which states that the fastest speed ever documented for a fish 
was 68 mph (~ 60 knots) for a sailfish off Florida.

Nonetheless, my housemate, a fisheries biologist, claimed to have seen 
recent scientific evidence that sailfish can hit 80 knots. He cannot 
recall where he saw the information (typical lawyer).

Has anyone else seen this information?

Patrick Jonke

[email-masked]

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From: [email-masked] (Flip214)
Date: 26 Mar 1996 09:30:59 -0500

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From: phe <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 28 Mar 1996 08:40:54 -0800

> can't remember how fast they actually got.  Maybe they just have a high

Recorded fastest speed is swordfish of 2 meters long traveling at 25 m/s 
or 50 knots.  Yellowfin tuna and wahoo of about 1 meter long can swim at 
around 21 - 22 m/s. 

P. He.
Marine Institute

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From: Gary Sharp <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 30 Mar 1996 15:42:33 -0800 (PST)

Hi!
The question needs to be framed in another manner>
Sea Creature? Fish, mammal, boid?

Fish, large marlins eat large tunas, probably by chasing them down.
Larger toothed whales eat whatever they want.
Penguins are pretty fast too, on a scale of things.
Big hammerheads can chase down any sea lion, or most fishes, in an 
amazing show of "beam me THERE" style they appear to be siperfast.
Wahoo, Ono, are lurking pradtors, with blinding strike speeds, but any 
large fish might have similar capabilities, over some distances.

gsharp

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From: [email-masked] (Erick Oshel)
Date: 31 Mar 1996 18:55:48 GMT

Dinoflaelates are darn fast for their size.  If I remember right they swim 
something like twenty body-lengths in a second.

-Erick