Comber (fish) facts for kids
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The comber (Serranus cabrilla) is a type of ray-finned fish that lives in the ocean. It belongs to the Serranidae family, which includes sea basses. This fish is found in many parts of the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the southwestern Indian Ocean. Sometimes, people catch combers for food or to make fishmeal.
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What Does a Comber Look Like?
The comber has a strong body with a big head and a jaw that sticks out. It has two fins on its back. The first fin has thin spines and is connected to the second one. It also has a fin underneath its body with a few spines. Its tail fin is a bit flat at the end.
Combers can be light brown, dark brown, or even reddish-brown. They have 7 to 9 dark stripes across their body. These stripes are broken by a long white or yellowish line that runs from its head to its tail. You might also see yellow or orange lines on the sides of its head. When swimming, its front back fin usually lies flat against its body.
Combers can grow up to about 40 centimeters (16 inches) long. However, most combers you find are around 25 centimeters (10 inches) long.
Where Do Combers Live?
Combers live in many places in the eastern Atlantic Ocean. You can find them in warmer waters near southern England and Wales. They also live all along the European coast, reaching the Straits of Gibraltar. From there, they swim into the Mediterranean Sea and even the Black Sea.
They are also found along the west coast of Africa, from Morocco down to Angola. Combers live around islands like Macaronesia and São Tomé and Príncipe in the Gulf of Guinea. You can also find them off the coast of South Africa. Scientists once thought combers in the Red Sea came from the Mediterranean through the Suez Canal. But now, we know they were there long before the canal opened!
How Do Combers Live and What Do They Eat?
Combers live on the continental shelf, which is the shallow part of the ocean floor near land. They like areas with rocks, seagrass beds (like Posidonia), and places with sand and mud. They can be found in waters as deep as 450 meters (1,476 feet).
Combers are predators, meaning they hunt other animals for food. They mostly eat crustaceans, like crabs and shrimp. For example, off the Canary Islands, smaller combers eat more crabs, while bigger ones prefer shrimp. Their diet can be very varied, and they also eat small fish, worms, and squid. Sometimes, they even eat dead marine animals they find.
Combers are usually solitary, meaning they live alone. They are also territorial, which means they defend their living space. They lay their eggs between May and July. Combers are special because they are hermaphrodites. This means that mature fish have both male and female parts (ovaries and testes). They can act as either male or female. Sometimes, if a comber can't find a partner, it can even fertilize its own eggs! They become ready to reproduce when they reach about 15.2 centimeters (6 inches) in length.
Are Combers Fished?
Combers are not a very important fish for commercial fishing. About 1,000 tons are caught from European waters each year. They are eaten in some places and also processed to make fishmeal, which is used for animal feed.
