Discover

Today
Animals
Explore
Archive
Search

Use it

Classroom
Resources
Field lab
Quiz
Saved

Trust

Methodology
Sources
Corrections
Accessibility
Contributors

Details

About
Contact
Privacy
Terms
Newsletter

Yellowfin Tuna | Daily Animal Facts

Animal profile

Yellowfin Tuna

Thunnus albacares

ActinopterygiiWarm surface and near-surface waters of tropical and subtropical oceans worldwide, excluding the MediterraneanLeast Concern

Field profile

Yellowfin are fast, wide-ranging tropical tunas named for the long yellow second dorsal and anal fins of large adults. They form mixed schools with other tunas and, in the eastern Pacific, associate with dolphins. They are among the most heavily fished tunas in the world.

Scope note

This is an editorial profile, not a diagnostic field-identification guide or a substitute for current conservation assessments. Follow the cited sources on each fact for the evidence trail.

Published field notes

2026-03-04

Yellowfin Tuna

Eastern Pacific yellowfin swim beneath dolphins

In one region of the ocean, large yellowfin tuna consistently travel below herds of spotted and spinner dolphins. Fishers exploited the association by setting nets on the visible dolphins, which killed millions of them before the practice was regulated.

Read with evidence →