Atlantic tarpon: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the Atlantic tarpon lives – recorded in 3 countries, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Megalops atlanticus
Group	Bony fish
Status	Vulnerable (Wikidata, IUCN category label)
Found in	3 countries
Continents	North America, South America
Class	Ray-finned fish
Order	Elopiformes
Family	Megalopidae

Where does the Atlantic tarpon live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the Atlantic tarpon in 3 countries and territories across North America and South America. Wikidata gives its range as: Brazil, Salvaterra.

Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.

Is the Atlantic tarpon endangered?

The Atlantic tarpon’s conservation status recorded in Wikidata is “Vulnerable” (an IUCN Red List category label). Source: Wikidata.

What kind of animal is the Atlantic tarpon?

The Atlantic tarpon (Megalops atlanticus) is a ray-finned fish in the order Elopiformes and the family Megalopidae, genus Megalops. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About the Atlantic tarpon

The Atlantic tarpon (Megalops atlanticus) is a ray-finned fish that inhabits coastal waters, estuaries, lagoons, and rivers. It is also known as the silver king. It is found in the Atlantic Ocean, typically in tropical and subtropical regions, though it has been reported as far north as Nova Scotia and the Atlantic coast of southern France, and as far south as Argentina. As with all elopiformes, it spawns at sea. Its diet includes small fish and crustaceans.

The tarpon has a reputation for great aerobatics, attaining astonishing size, and having impressive armored scales. It is generally considered to be of poor food quality, but it is highly valued as a game fish by recreational fishermen.

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Atlantic tarpon (revision 1379750262), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q756975 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).