Maori chief facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Maori chief |
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| Drawing by Dr Tony Ayling | |
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Notothenia angustata, the Maori chief, is a species of notothen native to the Southern Ocean between New Zealand and Chile south to the Antarctic, at depths to 100 m (330 ft). The juveniles are often found in tide pools.
The Maori chief is a large (up to 41 cm (16 in) long), demersal (bottom-living) fish not too dissimilar to the Maori cod. It has a large mouth, a prominent bony ridge above each eye, a rounded caudal fin, and two lateral lines which overlap slightly. The first dorsal fin is small with only six spines.
The Maori chief is dark grey or green above, mottled with blue-black, and is yellow on the belly. Numerous small, grey spots and streaks are on the head, suggesting the complex tattoos once worn by Māori chiefs, and the fins are grey with some darker mottling.
It eats a variety of invertebrates and small fishes.
