Sealife guideThe crevalle jackCaranx hippos

Last updated on 02/12/2025 at 11:05 PM
Taxonomy
  • Common name: Crevalle jack, common jack
  • French name: Carangue crevalle
  • Spanish name: Jurel común
  • Scientific name: Caranx hippos (Linnaeus, 1766)
  • Family name: Carangidae
  • Order name: Carangiformes
  • Class name: Actinopterygii
Description
The crevalle jack is distinguished by its elongated and streamlined body, adapted for fast swimming in the water. Its head is relatively large with a bulging forehead, and its mouth is equipped with sharp teeth, characteristic of carnivorous fish.
The crevalle jack (Caranx hippos)
The crevalle jack (Caranx hippos) © | Dreamstime.com
The body of this species is generally silver with a golden or bluish tint and features smooth scales that give it a hydrodynamic shape. Its dorsal and anal fins are yellow, as is its tail. A black stripe borders the back of its tail, while a black spot marks the rear base of its pectoral fins and the tip of the gills, at the level of the eye.
The crevalle jack typically measures 30 inches in length, although some individuals can reach up to 47 inches.
Geographic range
The crevalle jack is a species of fish widely distributed in the tropical and subtropical waters of the Atlantic Ocean. It inhabits the eastern part of the Atlantic Ocean, from Portugal to Angola, including the western part of the Mediterranean Sea, as well as the western part of the Atlantic, from Nova Scotia, Canada, and the northern Gulf of Mexico, down to Uruguay, passing through the Greater Antilles. However, this species is absent from the eastern Lesser Antilles.
Habitat
The crevalle jack frequents both shallow coastal waters and deeper pelagic zones offshore and can be found at depths of up to 1,150 feet. However, typically, this depth ranges from the surface to 656 feet.
Diet
The crevalle jack is an opportunistic carnivorous fish that primarily feeds on small fish, cephalopods like cuttlefish and squids, and crustaceans.
The crevalle jack (Caranx hippos)
The crevalle jack (Caranx hippos) © | Dreamstime.com
The crevalle jack is an active predator that uses its speed and ability to maneuver quickly to destabilize and capture its prey by surprise.
The crevalle jack lives in small groups of just a few individuals however, larger individuals may be solitary.
Reproduction
The crevalle jack is an oviparous fish species, and its reproduction occurs exclusively in the open sea in the subtropical Straits of Florida and the tropical Caribbean, where adults migrate to spawn.
Did you know ?
One of the most remarkable features of the crevalle jack is its crescent-shaped tail fin, which allows it to reach impressive speeds when hunting.
A school of crevalle jacks (Caranx hippos)
A school of crevalle jacks (Caranx hippos) © | Dreamstime.com
The crevalle jack is known for being a formidable predator, both fast and agile.
Due to its combative nature and speed, the crevalle jack is popular among sport fishing enthusiasts.
The crevalle jack is listed as many other marine species within The IUCN Red List of threatened species. The crevalle jack appears in the IUCN Red List since 2019 within the category Least Concern !
Within the same genus
Bar jack (Caranx ruber)
Bar jack
(Caranx ruber)
Bigeye trevally (Caranx sexfasciatus)
Bigeye trevally
(Caranx sexfasciatus)
Blue runner (Caranx crysos)
Blue runner
(Caranx crysos)
Bluefin trevally (Caranx melampygus)
Bluefin trevally
(Caranx melampygus)
Giant trevally (Caranx ignobilis)
Giant trevally
(Caranx ignobilis)
Horse-eye jack (Caranx latus)
Horse-eye jack
(Caranx latus)
Within the same family
Double-spotted queenfish (Scomberoides lysan)
Double-spotted queenfish
(Scomberoides lysan)
Golden trevally (Gnathanodon speciosus)
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(Gnathanodon speciosus)
Greater amberjack (Seriola dumerili)
Greater amberjack
(Seriola dumerili)
Indian threadfish (Alectis indica)
Indian threadfish
(Alectis indica)
Lookdown (Selene vomer)
Lookdown
(Selene vomer)
Rudderfish (Naucrates ductor)
Rudderfish
(Naucrates ductor)
Steel pompano (Trachinotus stilbe)
Steel pompano
(Trachinotus stilbe)
Yellowspotted trevally (Carangoides fulvoguttatus)
Yellowspotted trevally
(Carangoides fulvoguttatus)
Discover also
Blackspot razorfish (Iniistius dea)
Blackspot razorfish
(Iniistius dea)
Blackwedged butterflyfish (Chaetodon falcula)
Blackwedged butterflyfish
(Chaetodon falcula)
Diagonal-banded Sweetlip (Plectorhinchus lineatus)
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(Plectorhinchus lineatus)
Jansen's wrasse (Thalassoma jansenii)
Jansen's wrasse
(Thalassoma jansenii)
Longfin batfish (Platax teira)
Longfin batfish
(Platax teira)
Spangled emperor (Lethrinus nebulosus)
Spangled emperor
(Lethrinus nebulosus)
Sunset wrasse (Thalassoma lutescens)
Sunset wrasse
(Thalassoma lutescens)
Valentin's sharpnose puffer (Canthigaster valentini)
Valentin's sharpnose puffer
(Canthigaster valentini)
The marine species from Atlantic ocean
Bar jack (Caranx ruber)
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(Caranx ruber)
Blue tang surgeonfish (Acanthurus coeruleus)
Blue tang surgeonfish
(Acanthurus coeruleus)
Green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas)
Green sea turtle
(Chelonia mydas)
Lane snapper (Lutjanus synagris)
Lane snapper
(Lutjanus synagris)
Light bulb sea squirt (Clavelina lepadiformis)
Light bulb sea squirt
(Clavelina lepadiformis)
Long-finned pilot whale (Globicephala melas)
Long-finned pilot whale
(Globicephala melas)
Short bigeye (Pristigenys alta)
Short bigeye
(Pristigenys alta)
Spotfin butterflyfish (Chaetodon ocellatus)
Spotfin butterflyfish
(Chaetodon ocellatus)
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