Fish
Oxeye Tarpon
Megalops cyprinoides
A silver, big-eyed relative of the giant tarpon that enters KZN estuaries and can gulp air at the surface.
Also known as indo-pacific tarpon, ox-eye tarpon, tarpon oxeye
- Typical size
- Commonly 40-80 cm
- Habitat
- Estuaries, lagoons and coastal shallows
- Depth
- Shallow estuarine and inshore water
The oxeye tarpon is a bright silver fish with very large eyes, big scales and an upturned mouth, the last ray of its dorsal fin drawn out into a trailing filament. It is a subtropical species found in KwaZulu-Natal estuaries, lagoons and coastal shallows, tolerating brackish and even fresh water.
It has a modified swim bladder that lets it gulp air and survive in poorly oxygenated estuarine water, and it feeds on small fish and crustaceans. A prized light-tackle sport fish that leaps spectacularly when hooked, it is bony and generally released rather than eaten.