Zebra sea bream facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Zebra sea bream |
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| Conservation status | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Perciformes |
| Family: | Sparidae |
| Genus: | Diplodus |
| Species: |
D. cervinus
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| Binomial name | |
| Diplodus cervinus (Lowe, 1838)
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| Synonyms | |
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The zebra sea bream (Diplodus cervinus) is a type of fish that lives in the ocean. It is a ray-finned fish, which means its fins are supported by bony rays. This fish belongs to the family called Sparidae. This family includes many seabreams and porgies. You can find the zebra sea bream in the cool waters of the northeastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.
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About the Zebra Sea Bream's Name
The scientific name for this fish is Diplodus cervinus. The word cervinus means "deer." This name comes from a Portuguese name for the fish, sargo veado, which means "deer sea bream." This name was given because of the fish's appearance.
What Does the Zebra Sea Bream Look Like?
The zebra sea bream has an oval-shaped body. It is quite deep and flattened from side to side. Its snout is somewhat pointed, and its mouth has thick lips that can stick out a little.
This fish has special teeth. At the front of its upper jaw, it has 10 to 12 teeth that look like human incisors (front teeth). In its lower jaw, it has 8 similar teeth. Behind these, it has 1 to 3 rows of teeth that look like molars, which are good for grinding food.
The top fin, called the dorsal fin, has 11 or 12 strong spines and 11 to 14 soft rays. The fin on its belly, called the anal fin, has 3 spines and 10 to 12 soft rays. Its tail is shaped like a fork.
The fish's body is silvery or golden-grey. It has 5 thick, dark stripes that go up and down its body. There's also a dark area around its eyes and cheeks. The tip of its snout is dark, and it has a small dark spot near its pectoral fin (the fin on its side). Its pelvic fins (on its underside) are dark. The other fins are greyish and get darker towards their edges.
Zebra sea breams can grow up to about 55 centimeters (about 21 inches) long. However, they are usually around 35 centimeters (about 14 inches) long. The heaviest one ever recorded weighed about 2.7 kilograms (about 6 pounds).
Where Do Zebra Sea Breams Live?
You can find the zebra sea bream in the eastern Atlantic Ocean. This includes areas from the Bay of Biscay down to Mauretania. It also lives around the Canary Islands, Madeira, and the Cape Verde Islands. It swims into the Mediterranean Sea but not the Black Sea.
This fish prefers to live near the bottom of the ocean. It is usually found at depths between 30 and 80 meters (about 98 to 262 feet) where there are rocky areas. If the bottom is sandy, it can be found much deeper, sometimes down to 300 meters (about 984 feet).
Life and Habits of the Zebra Sea Bream
The zebra sea bream is an omnivorous fish. This means it eats both plants and animals. Its diet includes small invertebrates (like tiny crabs or worms) and different types of seaweed.
These fish are special because they are protogynous hermaphrodites. This means they are born female and can change into males later in life. Males usually become ready to reproduce when they are about 32.7 centimeters (about 13 inches) long and around five years old. Females are ready to reproduce when they are about 27 centimeters (about 10.6 inches) long and around four years old.
They lay their eggs from spring to summer, with most of the activity happening in May and June. Young fish join the main population between October and January. These young fish live in shallow waters, from about 0.5 to 8 meters (about 1.6 to 26 feet) deep. Young zebra sea breams often swim together in schools in rocky areas with lots of plants.
Adult zebra sea breams also form schools, usually with three to eight fish. During the time they reproduce, these schools often have one main male and several females.
Protecting the Zebra Sea Bream
The zebra sea bream faces some challenges. One big problem is overfishing. This means too many of these fish are being caught. Because of this, the number of zebra sea breams has gone down a lot. Their population has been reduced by about 85% compared to what it used to be. It's important to manage fishing so that these fish can recover and thrive.
