Sealife guideThe bigeye trevallyCaranx sexfasciatus

Last updated on 02/17/2025 at 07:03 PM
Taxonomy
  • Common name: Bigeye trevally
  • French name: Carangue à gros yeux
  • Spanish name: Jurel voraz
  • Scientific name: Caranx sexfasciatus (Quoy & Gaimard, 1825)
  • Family name: Carangidae
  • Order name: Carangiformes
  • Class name: Actinopterygii
Description
The bigeye trevally has a silver-colored body with, as its name suggests, larger eyes compared to other trevally species. It is distinguished from other trevally species by the slightly yellowish color of its tail.
The bigeye trevally (Caranx sexfasciatus)
The bigeye trevally (Caranx sexfasciatus) © Richard Carey | Dreamstime.com
Geographic range
The bigeye trevally inhabits the tropical waters of the western Indo-Pacific region, found from the Red Sea and the southern coasts of Africa to Indonesia, southern Japan, and the Ogasawara islands, passing through the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal.
The bigeye trevally is also found along the coasts of Australia, New Caledonia and various islands. Additionally, its range extends into the Eastern Pacific, reaching the south-western coast of Baja California Sur in Mexico, the Gulf of California, Ecuador, the Galapagos islands and the Hawaiian islands.
The bigeye trevally is the most common species of trevally off the coast of South Africa.
Habitat
The bigeye trevally is a pelagic fish species that lives in open water and can be found from the surface down to depths of 475 feet.
The bigeye trevally can form massive schools of over 1,500 individuals
The bigeye trevally can form massive schools of over 1,500 individuals © Hoatzinexp | Dreamstime.com
The bigeye trevally can form massive schools of over 1,500 individuals.
Diet
The bigeye trevally primarily feeds on small fish and crustaceans.
Did you know ?
The bigeye trevally is an important fish species for the fishing industry.
A school of bigeye trevallies in the shape of a tornado
A school of bigeye trevallies in the shape of a tornado © Hoatzinexp | Dreamstime.com
The bigeye trevally is listed as many other marine species within The IUCN Red List of threatened species. The bigeye trevally 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)
Blue runner (Caranx crysos)
Blue runner
(Caranx crysos)
Bluefin trevally (Caranx melampygus)
Bluefin trevally
(Caranx melampygus)
Crevalle jack (Caranx hippos)
Crevalle jack
(Caranx hippos)
Giant trevally (Caranx ignobilis)
Giant trevally
(Caranx ignobilis)
Horse-eye jack (Caranx latus)
Horse-eye jack
(Caranx latus)
Within the same family
Black tail permit fish (Trachinotus falcatus)
Black tail permit fish
(Trachinotus falcatus)
Golden trevally (Gnathanodon speciosus)
Golden trevally
(Gnathanodon speciosus)
Indian threadfish (Alectis indica)
Indian threadfish
(Alectis indica)
Leerfish (Lichia amia)
Leerfish
(Lichia amia)
Lookdown (Selene vomer)
Lookdown
(Selene vomer)
Rudderfish (Naucrates ductor)
Rudderfish
(Naucrates ductor)
Snubnose pompano (Trachinotus blochii)
Snubnose pompano
(Trachinotus blochii)
Steel pompano (Trachinotus stilbe)
Steel pompano
(Trachinotus stilbe)
Discover also
Coney (Cephalopholis fulva)
Coney
(Cephalopholis fulva)
Melon butterflyfish (Chaetodon trifasciatus)
Melon butterflyfish
(Chaetodon trifasciatus)
Seale's cardinalfish (Ostorhinchus sealei)
Seale's cardinalfish
(Ostorhinchus sealei)
Spotted seahorse (Hippocampus kuda)
Spotted seahorse
(Hippocampus kuda)
Stoplight parrotfish (Sparisoma viride)
Stoplight parrotfish
(Sparisoma viride)
Swarthy Parrotfish (Scarus niger)
Swarthy Parrotfish
(Scarus niger)
Yellow-ear angelfish (Apolemichthys xanthotis)
Yellow-ear angelfish
(Apolemichthys xanthotis)
Yellow-spotted triggerfish (Pseudobalistes fuscus)
Yellow-spotted triggerfish
(Pseudobalistes fuscus)
The marine species from Indo-Pacific
Blue tunicate (Rhopalaea fusca)
Blue tunicate
(Rhopalaea fusca)
Brownbanded bamboo shark (Chiloscyllium punctatum)
Brownbanded bamboo shark
(Chiloscyllium punctatum)
Copperbanded butterfly (Chelmon rostratus)
Copperbanded butterfly
(Chelmon rostratus)
Lemonpeel angelfish (Centropyge flavissima)
Lemonpeel angelfish
(Centropyge flavissima)
Pearl-scaled angelfish (Centropyge vrolikii)
Pearl-scaled angelfish
(Centropyge vrolikii)
Persian carpet flatworm (Pseudobiceros bedfordi)
Persian carpet flatworm
(Pseudobiceros bedfordi)
Thornback cowfish (Lactoria fornasini)
Thornback cowfish
(Lactoria fornasini)

Our latestUpdates

The banded sea snake
Monday, August 11th 2025
The banded sea snake
The coloration of the banded sea snake, also known as the yellow-lipped sea snake, is distinctive with alternating black bands and bluish to grayish areas. The tip of its head, limited to its upper lip, is yellowish.
The princess parrotfish
Thursday, August 7th 2025
The princess parrotfish
The princess parrotfish stands out with a coloration fit for a princess, featuring a dominant bluish hue, with yellow along the central part of its body near the pelvic fins, transitioning into green. Two blue bands run across its head on either side of its eyes.
The batwing coral crab
Monday, August 4th 2025
The batwing coral crab
Discover the batwing coral crab, an iconic species of Caribbean coral reefs, recognizable by its smooth red shell speckled with white and cream.
Photo of the Day
Crabe vert (Carcinus maenas)
Crabe vert
(Carcinus maenas)