Round sardinella facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Round sardinella |
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| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Sardinella
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| Species: |
aurita
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The round sardinella (Sardinella aurita) is a type of ray-finned fish. It belongs to the Sardinella group. You can find this fish on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean and in the Mediterranean Sea.
The number of round sardinella caught increased a lot around 1990. However, their population has been quite steady in recent years. This fish likes warm water. It is a small fish that swims in the open ocean. It lives in warm parts of the western and eastern Atlantic Ocean, the Pacific Ocean, and the Mediterranean Sea. Sometimes, it can even be found in the Black Sea.
Contents
What Does the Round Sardinella Look Like?
The round sardinella has a long body. Its belly is quite rounded. It also has many fine gill rakers, which are like filters for food. This fish can have up to 160 of these rakers.
Size and Markings
The round sardinella is one of the biggest types of Sardinella. It usually grows to be about 23 to 28 centimeters long. That's about the length of a standard ruler! It has eight rays on its pelvic fins. You can see stripes on the top of its head. It also has a faint golden line along its side. A special black spot is found on the back edge of its gill cover.
This fish is often caught with another similar fish called Sardinella longiceps. It can be hard to tell the two apart.
Where Does the Round Sardinella Live?
Round sardinella prefer shallower waters. They like the water to be around 24 degrees Celsius (about 75 degrees Fahrenheit). They can swim down to depths of 350 meters.
What Do They Eat?
This fish is a schooling fish. This means they swim together in large groups. They eat tiny plants called phytoplankton. They also eat small animals called zooplankton, like copepods.
Life Cycle and Reproduction
The round sardinella starts to develop its reproductive organs in April. They are fully ready to reproduce about a month later. From late June to September, the waters where they lay eggs are full of tiny eggs and young fish (larvae).
Fishing for Round Sardinella
People fish for round sardinella in several places. These include the coast of West Africa, the Mediterranean Sea, and near Venezuela and Brazil. In 1983, fishermen caught a total of 1,983,000 tons of this fish.
