Head to head
Common Dentex vs Gilthead Seabream
Common Dentex
VS Gilthead Seabream
The common dentex and the gilthead seabream are two sea breams of the Mediterranean and eastern Atlantic that appear on the same restaurant menus, but they live very different lives.
| Common Dentex | Gilthead Seabream | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Dentex dentex | Sparus aurata |
| Relationship | A fellow member of the sea bream family | A fellow member of the sea bream family |
| Teeth | Strong, conical, canine-like teeth at the front of its jaws, used to seize prey | Strong, rounded, molar-like teeth at the back of its jaws, used to crush hard-shelled prey |
| Appearance | A deep, oval, silvery-blue to grey body with a large head and steep forehead, particularly in older males | A silvery-grey, deep, oval body with a golden band between the eyes and a dark patch at the top of the gill cover |
| Size | Can reach about a metre in length and many kilograms in weight | A deep, oval fish of moderate size |
| Diet | Fish such as sardines and wrasses, along with squid, cuttlefish, and crustaceans | Mussels, clams, oysters, crabs, and other shellfish, along with some plant material |
| Human use | Highly prized by anglers, spearfishers, and chefs, which has led to heavy fishing pressure | One of the most important farmed fish in the Mediterranean, produced in large numbers in sea cages |
| Conservation status | Vulnerable, because overfishing of large adults has reduced numbers | Least Concern, widespread and common, and also farmed in very large numbers |
Common Dentex vs Gilthead Seabream: common questions
Which one is a predator?
The common dentex, which has fang-like canine teeth and hunts fish, squid, cuttlefish, and crustaceans.
Which one crushes shellfish?
The gilthead seabream, which has strong, rounded, molar-like teeth that crush mussels, clams, and other hard-shelled prey.
Which one is farmed?
The gilthead seabream, which is one of the most important farmed fish in the Mediterranean.