SHORTJAW BONEFISH

Albula vulpes

The Shortjaw Bonefish is commonly found in tropical and warm temperate waters around south Florida, the Bahamas and Bermuda, but can be found worldwide. They prefer intertidal flats, mangroves and river mouths with deeper adjacent waters. Unlike other fish, bonefish can tolerate oxygen poor water because they are able to breathe air through a modified lung-like air bladder. These fish typically swim in schools of around 100 individuals and follow the tides into shallow waters and back out to deeper waters. The most distinguishable features of these fish are their inferior mouth, conical nose that protrudes one third of the length of its body past their mandible, their slender and rounded bodies, and deeply forked caudal fin. In the Caribbean they can reach a maximum length of around 77cm. These fish are currently listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List.