Escolar

The escolar (Lepidocybium flavobrunneum) is a species of scombriform ray-finned fish with a cosmopolitan distribution in tropical and temperate oceans at depths of . Also known as snake mackerel or (Hawaiian, sometimes written ), it is the only member of the genus Lepidocybium and the family Lepidocybiidae.

The escolar (Lepidocybium flavobrunneum) is a species of scombriform ray-finned fish with a cosmopolitan distribution in tropical and temperate oceans at depths of . Also known as snake mackerel or (Hawaiian, sometimes written ), it is the only member of the genus Lepidocybium and the family Lepidocybiidae. ==Description== The escolar is dark brown, growing darker with age until it is quite black. It is a fast-swimming fish with a prominent lateral keel and four to six finlets after the anal and second dorsal fins. Escolar can grow to over in length, but are on average around . Like its relative the oilfish (Ruvettus pretiosus), escolar cannot metabolize the wax esters naturally found in its diet, instead distributing the undigestible oil throughout their bodies. As a result, around 20% of the escolar's body weight is oil. ==Human use== Fisheries do not typically target escolar, but they are often caught as bycatch by longline fishers and sold for profit. Because of the escolar's oily flesh, consumption of these fish can cause keriorrhea, also called gempylotoxism or gempylid fish poisoning. Symptoms range from stomach cramps to rapid loose bowel movements, occurring 30 minutes to 36 hours following consumption. ==References==

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