Fish
Gilthead Seabream
Sparus aurata · also called gilt-head bream, dorade
In a shallow lagoon, a gilthead seabream picks a mussel from the sand and crushes it between rounded teeth, its golden brow glinting in the sunlight.
Overview
The gilthead seabream, Sparus aurata, is a Least Concern sea bream of the Mediterranean and eastern Atlantic, from the British Isles to West Africa. Its golden brow, shell-crushing teeth, and sex change make it one of the best-known fish of southern European coasts.
A farmed fish with a wild past
The gilthead seabream is one of the most important farmed fish of the Mediterranean, but wild fish still live in the lagoons, seagrass beds, and rocky shores where aquaculture began.
Status
Least Concern, widespread and common.
Gilthead Seabream: common questions
Why is it called a gilthead?
It has a golden band between the eyes, which gives the fish its name.
Does the gilthead seabream change sex?
Yes, it starts life as a male and later changes into a female.
How does it eat shellfish?
It has strong, rounded, molar-like teeth at the back of its jaws, which it uses to crush mussels, clams, and other hard-shelled prey.
Where is the gilthead seabream found?
It lives in coastal waters, seagrass beds, and lagoons of the Mediterranean and the eastern Atlantic, from the British Isles to West Africa.