Narrative

Almaco jack in America or highfin amberjack in Australia (Seriola rivoliana) is found worldwide in tropical oceans. In the western Atlantic this is found from New England south to Argentina. In the eastern Pacific this is found from southern California to Peru. This jack can grow to about 60 inches in length. The tail is deeply forked. This is a silver fish. There is a poorly marked black band from the mouth passing through the eye to in front of the dorsal fin.

Parts of this lifeform are edible. This lifeform is marine and found only in salt water.

This lifeform is found widely in the Atlantic Ocean. This lifeform is found widely in the Indian OCean. This lifeform is found widely in the Pacific Ocean.

Jacks and trevallies are placed in the Carangidae family. This fmaily has about 140 species spread among 25 different genera. These fish are found from the open ocean to brackish water. Many species are known to migrate. Most are schooling and fast swimming fish. Furthermore, many species are important commercial fish. The genera Alectis, Carangoides, Caranx, Chloroscombus, Decapterus, Elagatis, Hemicaranx, Naucrates, Oligoplites, Pseudocaranx, Selar, Selene, Seriola, Trachurus, and Uraspis all belong here.

Perch-like Fish, Order Perciformes, are the largest order of fish in both freshwater and shallow saltwater. Most of the conventional fish belong to this order. The bass, bluegills, perch and crappies of freshwater plus the groupers and sea bass of salt water belong to this order. The fish all have spiny rays in their fins and the tail fin has seventeen rays. There are approximately 150 families. Herein, we have placed the families in alphabetical sequence within this order. (In some instances the typical taxonomic sequence of families is not much help. Consider, for example, that the barracudas are usually placed between the mullets and the threadfins.)

Bony fish, Class Teleostomi, are a class of chordates that include the majority of fish-like animals found on earth. They are characterized by a bony jaw and a bony skeleton. They are found in both fresh and marine waters.

Backboned Animals (Phylum Chordata) are the most advanced group of animals on earth. These animals are characterized by having a spinal cord or backbone. Most members have a clearly defined brain that controls the organism through a spinal cord. Fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals are in this phylum.

Currently, some taxonomists believe that the fish should be divided into two groups (sharks and regular fishes) and that there are some other primitive groups in the phylum such as hagfish or lampreys.