I hooked up to a monster fish! It jumps, flying into the air like a torpedo! I catch a glimpse of a long bill and a spear-like dorsal fin. I've hooked up to a blue marlin... Or a swordfish. I don't know. These beasts of the ocean have many similar characteristics, foods, and places to live, but one favors some things more than the other. But I do know one thing- they sure do fight hard!

Both blue marlins and swordfish are, for the most part, similar, but minor differences set them apart. The ways their bodies are built are very similar. Blue marlins and swordfish are similar in that they both have a streamlined, aerodynamic, body in water, and a long, spear-like crescent dorsal fin. Unlike the blue marlin's tapering dorsal fin, the swordfish's dorsal fin stops abruptly. A blue marlin can reach 14 feet in length and has been recorded to be a whopping 1,985 pounds! A swordfish is longer but not as "bulky" and heavy as a blue marlin, and can reach more than 14.5 feet in length and weigh up to 1,400 pounds. These creatures of the ocean both have long pectoral fins, "side fins," that keep them stable in the water so they don't flip over. Their bills, however, have a minute difference. The blue marlin's bill is rounded at the end, while the swordfish's bill is pointed. …show more content…
The blue marlin eats squid, octopus, tuna, and pelagic fish, which are fish that live neither deep, nor close to the shore. The swordfish also eats squid, octopus, and fish, but unlike the blue marlin, eats crustaceans as well. Some people think that they actually spear their prey, and they have been recorded of doing so. But then how would they eat it if it's stuck at the end of their bill? After they spear their prey, they shake it off their bill and eat it whole. These fish also use their long bill to slash and injure their prey, which is also eaten