🐟 fish

Mahi-Mahi

Coryphaena hippurus

Least Concern

Among the most brilliantly colored fish in the ocean, mahi-mahi (also called dolphinfish) light up in electric blues and golds when excited. One of Florida's premier offshore targets, they are fast-growing, acrobatic fighters prized equally for sport and as some of the finest eating fish in the sea.

Size large

Habitat saltwater

Diet Flying fish, squid, ballyhoo, sargassum crabs, small pelagics

Colors blue, green, yellow, gold

Behavior

Associates with floating objects — sargassum weed lines, debris, buoys, FADs. Extremely fast-growing, reaching 30+ pounds in a single year. Schools aggressively feed on the surface. Known for dramatic color changes from electric blue-green to muted gray when landed.

⚠️ Safety

Extremely powerful kicks and thrashing on deck — keep fingers clear of the tail. Ice immediately as flesh quality deteriorates fast in heat.

Fun Facts

Can grow from hatching to 30 pounds in a single year
Their colors pulse and change with mood — electric blue when excited, gray when stressed
Males (bulls) develop a distinctive flat, squared-off forehead
Also called dorado in the Pacific — a worldwide game fish