Swordfish Facts for Kids
Xiphias gladius · ZIF-ee-us GLAY-dee-us
A big ocean fish with a long, flat bill like a sword.
- 🏃 speed: not yet checked
- ⚖️ 1,430 lb650 kg1
- 📏 15 ft4.6 m1 long
- 🎂 lifespan: not yet checked
- 🍽️ fish
- Doing fine, for now (Near Threatened)
A swordfish is a big ocean fish with a long, flat bill. It swims in warm and cool seas. It eats fish and squid.
Swordfish live in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific oceans, in warm and cool water, usually in the top part of the sea. They eat mostly fish such as mackerel and herring, and also squid and crabs.
A swordfish is a big ocean fish with a long, flat bill that gives it its name. It lives in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific oceans, in tropical, temperate and sometimes cold water, and it travels long distances. It usually stays in the upper part of the sea but can dive very deep. It eats mostly fish such as mackerel and herring, and also squid and crabs.
How big is a swordfish?
Swordfish in numbers
| Length | 15 ft4.6 m1up to; fork length |
|---|---|
| Height at the shoulder | no checked number yet |
| Weight | 1,430 lb650 kg1up to; the largest published weight |
| Top speed | no checked number yet |
| How long it lives | no checked number yet |
| What it eats | fish such as mackerel and herring, and also squid and crabs |
| Where it lives | warm and cool seas of the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific oceans, mostly near the surface |
| What kind | Fish |
| Is it in danger? | Doing fine, for now (Near Threatened)2 |
A number we couldn’t find on a page we trust says so, instead of guessing.
Wow!
- A swordfish has a long, flat bill like a sword.
- It lives in three oceans.
- It can swim from the surface down very deep.
Compare the swordfish
Friends and neighbours
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Giant manta rayThree questions
Books about the swordfish, free at the library
Ask a grown-up to tap the button: it shows where to borrow a book about the swordfish for free.
For teachers
Use this animal in class: its facts are on this page, and the cards print from it.
Where these numbers come from
- FishBase, Xiphias gladius (swordfish), checked 10 November 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 10 November 2026.
- Wikidata, Swordfish (Q164327), checked 30 October 2026.