Fish
Common Dentex
Dentex dentex · also called dentex
Along the edge of a deep Mediterranean reef, a big common dentex glides in the blue, its fangs showing as it turns toward a passing shoal of sardines.
Overview
The common dentex, Dentex dentex, is a Vulnerable sea bream of rocky reefs, wrecks, and seagrass meadows in the Mediterranean and eastern Atlantic. Its fangs, size, and appeal to anglers and spearfishers have made it a symbol of both the richness and the overfishing of the Mediterranean.
A sea bream that hunts
Most sea breams graze on shells and weed, but the dentex has fangs and hunts fish and squid like a small grouper.
Status
Vulnerable, with large adults reduced by fishing.
Common Dentex: common questions
Is the common dentex a predator?
Yes, it has strong, conical, canine-like teeth and hunts fish, squid, cuttlefish, and crustaceans around rocky reefs.
Why is the common dentex vulnerable?
Overfishing, particularly of large adults, has reduced numbers in many parts of its range.
How big is the common dentex?
It can reach about a metre in length and many kilograms in weight, though most caught fish are much smaller.
Where is the common dentex found?
It lives around rocky reefs, wrecks, and seagrass meadows of the Mediterranean and the eastern Atlantic.