Black marlin: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the black marlin lives – recorded in 6 countries, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Istiompax indica
Group	Bony fish
Status	Data deficient (Wikidata, IUCN category label)
Found in	6 countries
Continents	Africa, Asia, Oceania, South America
Class	Ray-finned fish
Order	Istiophoriformes
Family	Istiophoridae

Where does the black marlin live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the black marlin in 6 countries and territories across Africa, Asia, Oceania and South America.

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 black marlin endangered?

The black marlin’s conservation status recorded in Wikidata is “Data deficient” (an IUCN Red List category label). Source: Wikidata.

What kind of animal is the black marlin?

The black marlin (Istiompax indica) is a ray-finned fish in the order Istiophoriformes and the family Istiophoridae, genus Istiompax. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About the black marlin

The black marlin (Istiompax indica) is a species of marlin found in tropical and subtropical areas of the Indian and Pacific Oceans approximately between 40 degrees North and 45 degrees South, while in some instances venturing into more temperate waters. Reaching lengths of over 4.5 m (15 ft), it is one of the largest marlins and also one of the largest bony fish. Marlins are among the fastest fish, but speeds are often exaggerated in popular media, such as reports of 129 km/h (80 mph). A 2016 study estimated maximum swimming speeds from muscle contraction times, which in turn limit the tail-beat frequency; the study suggested a theoretical upper limit for the black marlin's burst speed of 36 km/h (22 mph).

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Black marlin (revision 1380372219), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q998315 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).