Thunnus
| True tunas Temporal range: Tertiary–holocene |
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| Yellowfin tuna | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Perciformes |
| Family: | Scombridae |
| Tribe: | Thunnini |
| Genus: |
Thunnus South, 1845 |
| Subgenus | |
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Thunnus is a genus of ocean-dwelling ray-finned bony fish from the Scombridae (Mackerel) family. More specifically, Thunnus is one of five genera which make up the Thunnini tribe – a tribe that is collectively known as the tunas. Also called the true tunas or real tunas, Thunnus consists of eight species of tuna (more than half of the overall tribe), divided into two subgenera. The word Thunnus is the Middle Latin form of the Ancient Greek: θύννος (thýnnos) "tunny-fish" – which is in turn derived from θύνω (thynō), "to rush; to dart". The first written use of the word was by Homer.
Their coloring, metallic blue on top and shimmering silver-white on the bottom, helps camouflage them from above and below. Atlantic bluefin tuna, the largest member of this genus, can grow to 15 feet (4.6 m) long and weigh up to 1,500 pounds (680 kg). All tunas are extremely strong swimmers, and the Yellowfin tuna is known to reach speeds of up to 50 miles per hour (80 km/h) when pursuing prey. As with all tunas, members of this genus are warm-blooded, which is a rare trait among fish; this enables them to tolerate cold waters. Bluefin tunas, for example, are found in Newfoundland and Iceland, and also in the tropical waters of the Gulf of Mexico and the Mediterranean Sea, where some individuals go each year to spawn.
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Wikipedia