Built like a torpedo, Atlantic bluefin tuna race through the water at speeds up to 43 miles per hour. Their pectoral (side) fins can retract, and their eyes are flush with their bodies, meaning they are extremely streamlined. This helps increase Atlantic bluefin tunas speed and endurance by decreasing drag in the water. Their shiny metallic coloring, blue on top and white on bottom, is great camouflage and helps them hide from onlookers above and below. Atlantic bluefin tuna are big, however, which makes them hard to miss! Their average size is six and a half feet long and average weight is 550 pounds.

Unlike most fish, Atlantic bluefin tuna are endothermic, or warm-blooded. This means they can generate body heat by swimming and keep their body temperatures higher than the surrounding water. This special trait, known as thermoregulation, allows them to live in a wide variety of climates and helps them on long ocean journeys.

Atlantic bluefin tuna are schooling fish and like to stick together based on size. They use their speed to hunt darting, schooling fish, and swim slowly with open mouths to catch small, slow-moving prey. These fish prefer to stay at depths where they can see sunlight. They also don’t stay in one place for too long—instead, they migrate long distances and have even been tracked traveling from the Bahamas to Norway!