Bigeye tuna
Thunnus obesus (Lowe, 1839)
The bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus) is a bony fish in the family Scombridae, subfamily Scombrinae, within the order Scombriformes. Its scientific name carries the authority (Lowe, 1839), and it belongs to the genus Thunnus.
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Quick facts about the bigeye tuna
The IUCN Red List global assessment places the bigeye tuna in the Vulnerable (VU) category, an IUCN threatened category. Other English names for this fish include Bigeye, Big-eye tuna and Big-eye tunny.
- Weight
- Not recorded
- Length
- Not recorded
- Lifespan
- Not recorded
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- Not recorded
- Young per litter or clutch
- Not recorded
- Conservation status
- Vulnerable (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
Photos of the bigeye tuna
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
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Where does the bigeye tuna live?
Not recorded
What is the bigeye tuna?
The bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus) is a species of true tuna of the genus Thunnus, belonging to the wider mackerel family Scombridae. Bigeye tuna are found in the open waters of all tropical and temperate oceans, but not in the Mediterranean Sea.
From the Wikipedia article “Bigeye tuna” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bigeye_tuna&oldid=1381415903), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the bigeye tuna endangered?
The bigeye tuna is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List: it faces a high risk of extinction in the wild.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Vulnerable species.
How is the bigeye tuna classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classTeleostei
- orderScombriformes
- familyScombridae
- genusThunnus
- SpeciesThunnus obesus (Lowe, 1839)
Synonyms Germo obesus, Germo sibi, Neothunnus obesus, Orcynus sibi, Parathunnus mebachi, Parathunnus obesus, Parathunnus obesus mebachi, Parathunnus sibi, Parathynnus sibi, Thunnus abesus, Thunnus mebachi, Thunnus obesus mebachi, Thunnus obesus sibi, Thunnus sibi, Thunus obesus, Thynnus obesus, Thynnus sibi
Other names and names in other languages (66)
- Big-eye tunaEnglish
- Big-eye tunnyEnglish
- BigeyeEnglish
- JaydherArabic
- تونة كبيرة العينArabic
- monxaAsturian
- Tonyina d'ulls grossosCatalan
- Taguw perascal
- Taguw tangircal
- BugokCebuano
- tuňák velkookýCzech
- GroßaugenthhunGerman
- Grossaugen-ThunGerman
- Grossaugen-ThunfischGerman
- GrossaugenthunGerman
- GroßaugenthunfischGerman
- AtúnSpanish
- atún de ojos grandesSpanish
- atún ojo grandeSpanish
- Ojo gordoSpanish
- patudoSpanish
- IsosilmätonnikalaFinnish
- thon obèseFrench
- Thon aux Grands YeuxFrench
- Thon aux Gros YeuxFrench
- Thon Gros YeuxFrench
- Thon ventruFrench
- 'AhiHawaiian
- טונה עינניתHebrew
- nagyszemű tonhalHungarian
- tonno obesoItalian
- メバチJapanese
- MebachiJapanese
- MebutoJapanese
- 눈다랑어Korean
- didžiaakis tunasLithuanian
- grootoogtonijnDutch
- Buni fluitdoPapiamento
- Buní flùitdóPapiamento
- Buní wowo di bakaPapiamento
- patudaPolish
- opastunPolish
- tuńczyk opastunPolish
- tuńczyk wielkoocznyPolish
- tuńczyk wielkookiPolish
- Kakahipmt
- patudoPortuguese
- AlvacorPortuguese
- AlvacoraPortuguese
- Atum-patudoPortuguese
- большеглазый тунецRussian
- velikooki tunSlovenian
- Yajdar-baal-cagaarSomali
- storögd tonfiskSwedish
- JodariSwahili
- ปลาทูน่าตาโตThai
- AlbakoraFilipino
- TulinganFilipino
- bigeye orkinosuTurkish
- İrigözlü OrkinosTurkish
- тунець великоокийUkrainian
- Nkabavif
- 大目仔Chinese
- 大目鮪Chinese
- 大眼金槍魚Chinese
- 大眼鮪Chinese
Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistITISTAXREFWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List
Relatives of the bigeye tuna
Other species in the same genus Thunnus.
Yellowfin tuna
Thunnus albacares
Albacore
Thunnus alalunga
Atlantic bluefin tuna
Thunnus thynnus
Bluefin tuna
Thunnus tonggol
Bluefin
Thunnus maccoyii
Albacore
Thunnus atlanticus
CompareBigeye tuna vs Yellowfin tunaBigeye tuna vs AlbacoreBigeye tuna vs Atlantic bluefin tunaBigeye tuna vs Bluefin tuna
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
What kind of animal is the bigeye tuna?
The bigeye tuna is a bony fish. It belongs to the family Scombridae in the order Scombriformes.
What is the scientific name of the bigeye tuna?
The scientific name of the bigeye tuna is Thunnus obesus, placing it in the genus Thunnus.
Who named the bigeye tuna and when?
The scientific name authority for Thunnus obesus is written as (Lowe, 1839), meaning Lowe in 1839.
Is the bigeye tuna endangered?
The bigeye tuna is listed as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List global assessment, which is an IUCN threatened category.
What family does the bigeye tuna belong to?
The bigeye tuna belongs to the family Scombridae, subfamily Scombrinae, and suborder Scombroidei.
What are other names for the bigeye tuna?
Other English names for the bigeye tuna are Bigeye, Big-eye tuna and Big-eye tunny.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/bigeye-tuna
“Bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/bigeye-tuna.
@misc{bigeye_tuna_2026,
title = {Bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/bigeye-tuna},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}