These two attractive tuna pins can be found in Tapir and Friends Online Gift Shop. They are hand-painted in the USA. The yellowfin tuna (top) comes in a variety of paint finishes, some more subdued than the one seen here. These make wonderful gifts, and can be used as hat pins, lapel pins, and bold tie tacs. While the yellowfin tuna is still found abundantly, the bluefin tuna has been fished to critical levels. It might make a good mascot for fish-loving conservationists. Tuna are interesting fish in that, like the mackerel, they have warm blood, whereas most fish are cold-blooded. This gives them the ability to survive in a wider range of water temperatures and gives them great strength for swimming and for fighting the prospect of being caught. Possibly this is one of the reasons tuna have been so popular among sports fishers. They are also, of course, highly sought for food by humans.
