TARPON
Megalops atlanticus
English: Atlantic tarpon, silver king.
Spanish: Sabalo,sabalo real.
Megalops atlanticus is found on the western Atlantic coast from Virginia to Brazil, throughout the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, throughout the Caribbean.
They have dorsal and anal soft rays and have a bluish or greenish back. Tarpons possess distinctive lateral lines and have shiny silvery scales that cover most of the body excluding the head. Tarpons have large eyes with adipose eyelids and a broad mouth with a prominent lower jaw that juts out farther than the rest of the face.
The Tarpon is a large, hard fighting fish and is judged by many to be the world's most exciting gamefish. Once it feels the hook being set it begins the spectacular display of frequent, twisting, acrobatic leaps into the air to free itself from the hook. Most Tarpon landed are between 25 to 80 pounds on average, but can range from a few inches in length to about 300 pounds. The world all-tackle record is 283 pounds four ounces.