red swordfish

Question
i have a red swordfish that is supposed to be male because it has the long sword tail (extension of the rounded fin). yet, it looks to me that it is pregnant because the abdomen has become noticeably swollen and white-colored. can female red swordfish have the sword like tails? if not, why does my male look pregnant?

Answer
Kathryn,

A female red swordfish can in fact become a male. These fish normally run in large groups of one male and the rest female. If the male gets too old to breed or dies, the dominant female will become a male. They do this is there are no males around. Now some say they only look like males from the outside and have the reproductive organs of a female and can give birth, but others say that it can become a male completely. If your male/female is pregnant, most of the babies will be female and a very small percent will be male.