Mullet (fish) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mullet (fish)
Mugil cephalus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
(unranked):	Acanthomorpha
Superorder:	Acanthopterygii
Clade:	Percomorpha
(unranked):	Ovalentaria
Order:	Mugiliformes
Family:	Mugilidae Jarocki,Jarocki 1822
Type species
Mugil cephalus Linnaeus, 1758
Genera
See text.

Mullets, also known as grey mullets, are a group of fish that belong to the family called Mugilidae. You can find these fish all over the world in warm and mild coastal waters. Some types of mullets even live in fresh water, like rivers and lakes!

People in places like Southern Europe have been eating mullets for a very long time, even since the Roman Empire. There are about 78 different kinds of mullets, grouped into 20 main types (called genera).

Mullets are easy to spot because they have two separate dorsal fins (the fins on their back). They also have small, triangle-shaped mouths. Mullets eat detritus, which is tiny bits of dead plants and animals. To help them digest this food, most mullets have strong stomachs and a special throat part called a pharynx.

Amazing Mullet Jumps

One cool thing mullets do is jump out of the water! They have two main ways of jumping. One is a quick, straight jump to get away from other fish that might want to eat them. The other jump is slower and lower, where they turn on their side and make a bigger splash.

Scientists aren't totally sure why they do the second type of jump. Some think it might be to get more oxygen from the air using a small organ near their throat.

Different Kinds of Mullets

A Mugil cephalus

The thick lips of a mullet

Mullets swimming in the Mediterranean Sea

When people talk about "mullet" in North America, they usually mean the fish from the Mugilidae family. But in Europe, the word "mullet" can be a bit confusing!

In Europe, "grey mullets" are the ones from the Mugilidae family. But there are also "red mullets" or "surmullets," which are from a different family called Mullidae. These are often called "goatfish" outside of Europe. So, a fish called "mullet" might be from one of these families, or even something completely different!

Scientists have studied mullets a lot to understand how they are related to other fish. They have recently updated how the mullet family is organized. Here are some of the main types (genera) of mullets in the Mugilidae family:

See also

In Spanish: Mugilidae para niños