Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Actinopterygii

Order: Perciformes

Family: Gempylidae

Genus: Lepidocybium

Species:  Lepidocybium flavobrunneum

The escolar is also known as snake mackerel (walu walu), and is sometimes erroneously sold as Butterfish or White Tuna.

The escolar is dark brown, growing darker with age until it is quite black. It is a fast-swimming fish. Escolar can grow to over 2 m in length.

Like its relatives, escolar cannot metabolize the wax esters (gempylotoxin) naturally found in its diet. This gives the escolar an oil content of 14–25% in its flesh.

Escolar's wax ester content can cause stomach cramps to rapid loose bowel movements, occurring 30 minutes to 36 hours following consumption.

Two known ways to reduce the likelihood of escolar symptoms are to limit portions to six ounces (170gr) or less, and to consume portions close to the tail, which typically have a lower wax ester content.

It is sail that deep skinning, freezing or grilling will reduce the likelihood of diarrhea. Smoke escolar gains large consumption in cold region as it taste as good as smoke cod fish.