Swordfish: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the swordfish lives – recorded in 12 countries, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Xiphias gladius
Group	Bony fish
Status	Near threatened (Wikidata, IUCN category label)
Found in	12 countries
Continents	Europe, North America, Oceania, South America
Class	Ray-finned fish
Order	Istiophoriformes
Family	Xiphiidae

Where does the swordfish live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the swordfish in 12 countries and territories across Europe, North America, Oceania and South America. Wikidata gives its range as: Brazil.

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 swordfish endangered?

The swordfish’s conservation status recorded in Wikidata is “Near threatened” (an IUCN Red List category label). Source: Wikidata.

What kind of animal is the swordfish?

The swordfish (Xiphias gladius) is a ray-finned fish in the order Istiophoriformes and the family Xiphiidae, genus Xiphias. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About the swordfish

The swordfish (Xiphias gladius), also known as the broadbill in some countries, are large, highly migratory predatory fish characterized by a long, flat, sword-like, pointed bill. They are the sole member of the family Xiphiidae. They are a popular sport fish of the billfish category. Swordfish are elongated, round-bodied, and lose all teeth and scales by adulthood. These fish are found widely in tropical and temperate parts of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans, and can typically be found from near the surface to a depth of 550 m (1,800 ft), and exceptionally up to depths of 2,878 m (9,442 ft). They commonly reach 3 m (10 ft) in length, and the maximum reported is 4.55 m (14 ft 11 in) in length and 650 kg (1,430 lb) in weight.

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Swordfish (revision 1380373339), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q164327 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).