Cottonmouth jack (Uraspis secunda) is a saltwater species recorded in the United States. It is found at depths of 1–50 m.
Scientific name: Uraspis secunda · Water: Saltwater
Size: up to 50 cm
The cottonmouth jack is a pelagic oceanic carangid whose adults are mostly oceanic and pelagic but are sometimes found near the bottom, often near islands; it is solitary or occurs in small schools. It is recorded from 1 to 50 m. Maximum length is about 50 cm total length, commonly about 40 cm. It is a minor commercial species and a gamefish, with a medium price category. Fishing vulnerability is low to moderate at 32 of 100 and resilience medium. IUCN lists it as least concern.
Adults are normally dark in colour while juveniles are pale and carry six or seven brown vertical bars along the flanks. The species is named "cottonmouth" because the one feature that separates it from every other member of its family is its bleach-white mouth and tongue. The dorsal fin has nine spines and 27 to 32 soft rays, and the anal fin only three spines and 19 to 23 soft rays. The greatest published weight is 2.04 kg. It is pelagic and ranges widely: in the Western Indian Ocean it is found off Tanzania, in the Eastern Pacific from California to Costa Rica and around Hawaii, in the western Atlantic from Massachusetts to Brazil and in the northern Gulf of Mexico, and in the eastern Atlantic from Mauritania to Angola and off western South Africa. It swims throughout the water column but is occasionally seen feeding on the bottom near islands, and it does not live in large numbers, being seen as individuals or in small schools.
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