Sheepshead porgy facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Sheepshead porgy |
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The sheepshead porgy (Calamus penna) is a cool fish found in the ocean. People also call it the littlemouth porgy or speckled porgy. It's a type of ray-finned fish that belongs to the family called Sparidae. This family includes all the seabreams and porgies. You can find this fish swimming in the Western Atlantic Ocean.
What's in a Name?
Scientists give every animal a special name. The sheepshead porgy was first described in 1830. A French zoologist named Achille Valenciennes gave it the name Pagellus penna. He found it in Brazil. Later, scientists placed it in the group, or genus, called Calamus. This group is part of the Sparidae family.
Why "Penna"?
The special name for this fish is penna. This word means "quill" or "pen". It might be named this because of a hollow, pen-like spine. This spine is found in its anal fin. However, Valenciennes also said he named it this because it was similar to another fish, Calamus calamus. That fish's name also means "quill" or "pen".
What Does It Look Like?
The sheepshead porgy has a unique look. Like other Calamus porgies, its body is deep and flat. Its head is also deep. The top of its head is smoothly rounded. It has a blunt snout, which is the front part of its head.
Its back nostrils are long and look like slits. The mouth is a good size. It reaches to just below the front of its eye. The upper jaw sticks out a little bit past the lower jaw. The upper lip is split into two parts.
This fish has two main fins on its back and belly. The dorsal fin on its back has 13 stiff spines. It also has 12 soft rays. The anal fin on its belly is short. It has 3 small spines and 10 or 11 soft rays.
The sheepshead porgy is mostly silvery. It has pretty lavender, blue, and yellow colors on its scales. You might see faint stripes along its body. Sometimes, there's a bluish-gray stripe below its eye. There can also be a dark brown bar. A black spot is usually found at the top of its pectoral fin base. When the fish is alive, it might have about 7 dark bars on its body. This fish can grow up to 46 centimeters (about 18 inches) long. But most are around 28 centimeters (about 11 inches).
Where Does It Live?
The sheepshead porgy lives in the Western Atlantic Ocean. You can find it from Florida down through the West Indies. It also lives in the Caribbean and as far south as Brazil.
This fish likes clear reef areas. It lives in waters between 3 and 87 meters deep. It prefers soft or rocky seabeds. Young sheepshead porgies like to live in seagrass beds. These beds provide a safe place for them to grow.
