🐟 Sailfish report template
Three versions, one page each. Print the one for your child’s grade. The facts come from the sailfish page, every number with its source.
Grades 1–2
My report: the sailfish
Istiophorus platypterus · Grades 1–2
| Length | 12 ft (3.6 m) |
|---|---|
| Height at the shoulder | not checked yet: look it up! |
| Weight | 128 lb (58 kg) |
| Top speed | 68 mph (109 km/h) |
| How long it lives | not checked yet: look it up! |
Read about it
The sailfish is a fish with a big sail on its back. It folds the sail down flat to swim fast. Its bill is long and pointed.
It lives in:
It eats:
The coolest thing I learned:
Where my facts came from
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Shorefishes of the Greater Caribbean (Istiophorus platypterus), biogeodb.stri.si.edu/caribbean/en/thefishes/species/2244, checked 2026-10-30
- NOAA Fishery Bulletin 78(3), 1980 (Beardsley and others, Atlantic sailfish), spo.nmfs.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/pdf-content/fish-bull/beardsley.pdf, checked 2026-10-30
- NOAA National Ocean Service, Ocean Facts feed ('What is the fastest fish in the ocean?'), oceanservice.noaa.gov/rss/oceanfacts.xml, checked 2026-10-30
Grades 3–4
My report: the sailfish
Istiophorus platypterus · Grades 3–4
| Length | 12 ft (3.6 m) |
|---|---|
| Height at the shoulder | not checked yet: look it up! |
| Weight | 128 lb (58 kg) |
| Top speed | 68 mph (109 km/h) |
| How long it lives | not checked yet: look it up! |
Read about it
A sailfish keeps its tall sail folded down while it speeds along, and raises it when it hunts. It often hunts schools of small fish, and a few sailfish may work together to keep the school bunched up. Its dark blue back and silver belly help it hide, whether you look from above or below.
Where it lives (its habitat):
What it eats:
How its body helps it live there:
My favorite fact:
A question I still have:
Where my facts came from
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Shorefishes of the Greater Caribbean (Istiophorus platypterus), biogeodb.stri.si.edu/caribbean/en/thefishes/species/2244, checked 2026-10-30
- NOAA Fishery Bulletin 78(3), 1980 (Beardsley and others, Atlantic sailfish), spo.nmfs.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/pdf-content/fish-bull/beardsley.pdf, checked 2026-10-30
- NOAA National Ocean Service, Ocean Facts feed ('What is the fastest fish in the ocean?'), oceanservice.noaa.gov/rss/oceanfacts.xml, checked 2026-10-30
Grades 5–6
My report: the sailfish
Istiophorus platypterus · Grades 5–6
| Length | 12 ft (3.6 m) |
|---|---|
| Height at the shoulder | not checked yet: look it up! |
| Weight | 128 lb (58 kg) |
| Top speed | 68 mph (109 km/h) |
| How long it lives | not checked yet: look it up! |
Read about it
Sailfish live in warm, open water and are among the fastest fish in the sea. Their sail is a huge fin held up by thin bony rays, and it can fold neatly into a groove along the back. Hunting sailfish raise their sails and flash bright blue and silver stripes, which may help keep a school of fish in a tight ball. Sailfish roam the open ocean, following warm water and plenty of food.
Habitat and range: where on Earth, and what the place is like:
Diet: what it eats, and what might eat it:
Adaptations: two ways its body or habits help it survive:
Is it in danger? Why or why not?:
Compare it with another animal you know:
Bibliography: write each source below as site, page title, date checked:
Where my facts came from
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Shorefishes of the Greater Caribbean (Istiophorus platypterus), biogeodb.stri.si.edu/caribbean/en/thefishes/species/2244, checked 2026-10-30
- NOAA Fishery Bulletin 78(3), 1980 (Beardsley and others, Atlantic sailfish), spo.nmfs.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/pdf-content/fish-bull/beardsley.pdf, checked 2026-10-30
- NOAA National Ocean Service, Ocean Facts feed ('What is the fastest fish in the ocean?'), oceanservice.noaa.gov/rss/oceanfacts.xml, checked 2026-10-30