Scientific name:
Thunnus

Natural spread:
warm and restrained seas

co several types is fitting tunas to the family of the mackerels. In its blood-vessel-system, they differ from all other fish. its body-temperature lies by 6-12°C over the surrounding water-temperature namely - therefore almost a condition of "warm-blooded-ness." This phenomenon with its continuous activity is connected surely. The muscle-work, that constantly is done with the fast swimming-movements of these big fish, generates the clearly elevated temperature.

Hikes Tunas undertake wide hikes, that they even lead over the Atlantic, to both the spawn-time and at the prosecution of fish-swarms. So, a Thun was caught at Sardinia in the 1920er years, the a fish-hook from the USA carried. in 1959, one found 2 tunas, who had been marked in Massachusetts 5 years before, in the Biskaya. Also for the white tuna, wide hikes were proved. in 1953, Japanese fishers caught an animal, who had been marked almost 1 years at Los Angeles previously. It had put back 7800 km.

Big tuna (Thunnus thynnus)) This tuna, named also red Thun, lives in all warm and restrained seas, also at the European coasts as far as to Norway, particularly however in the Mediterranean and in the black sea. Even, it forces his way into the Baltic sea occasionally. As its actual home, the Mediterranean is regarded. Here, it reaches as biggest tuna-type with lengths up to 5 m of weight of more than 800 kg. In groups of 30-60 animals, so-called "schools", tunas hunt densely after mackerels, herring-fishing and others, at the water-surface advances also in bigger depths, however, where they carry off Lengfishes, red-perches, smaller sharks and squids. Middle of the year, the tunas move in to thousand into the Mediterranean in order to spawn at the coasts. They are pushed on that occasion to large flocks in Sperrnetze with catch-chambers (Tonnare) and are slaughtered. The most important catch-place is before Sicily's west-top. Here the meat immediately is processed in a cannery since it is very perishable. In the Atlantic, Thune are carried off predominantly with the fishing rod, also with harpoons, they are hunted.

Further tuna-types The white tuna or Germon (Thunnus alalunga) are to be recognized especially easily by its extremely long flippers with light tops. it has a similar spread-area like the usual Thun. To the warm seas, the occurrence of the yellow-fin-tuna or Albacore (Thunnus albacares) are restricted. Some smaller tuna-types are spotted, so in the Atlantic of the Thonine (Euthynnus alleteratus) and in the Indopazifik Euthynnus yaito. The Pelamiden (type Sarda) roved like the relative Bonito are widespread in several types in tropical and restrained seas; they are important usefulness-fish.

Spanish mackerels (type Scomberomorus)) These long-stretched tuna-relatives are despite its name widespread world-wide. The king-mackerel (Scomberomorus cavalla) of the American Atlantic-coast reaches up to 1,70 m as biggest type lengths and can weigh over 45 kg. In the indopazifishesn area, it becomes some smaller Spanish mackerel (Sc) through them. commersoni, represents. Also the just as big Wahoo (Acanthocybium solandri), a fast-swimmer spread in all tropical oceans, belongs into its immediate relationship. All named types are palatable and therefore sought-after food-fish - completely in contrast to the small frigate-mackerels (type Auxis), that live in tropical seas in swarms and are liked not to catch because of its dark meat. Most known type is the artificial Bonito (Auxis rochei), that is called also Melva.