Head to head
Thicklip Grey Mullet vs Striped Mullet
Thicklip Grey Mullet
VS Striped Mullet
The thicklip grey mullet and the striped mullet are two grazing mullets that move between sea and estuary, and both are familiar sights around harbours.
| Thicklip Grey Mullet | Striped Mullet | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Chelon labrosus | Mugil cephalus |
| Relationship | A fellow member of the mullet family | A fellow member of the mullet family |
| Distinctive feature | A thick, fleshy upper lip with small, wart-like bumps | A habit of leaping entirely out of the water, for reasons that are still debated |
| Body | A long, heavy, silver-grey body with dark stripes along the flanks and a flat head, growing to well over 50 cm | A silvery fish with a thick, muscular, gizzard-like stomach that grinds up the sediment it eats |
| Diet | Grazes on algae, diatoms, and organic film from stones, piers, and mud, and takes small invertebrates | Feeds on algae, detritus, and small invertebrates filtered or scraped from mud and sand |
| Brackish water | Moves into estuaries and brackish water, and sometimes swims a little way up rivers | Tolerates a wide range of salinity, moving freely between seawater, brackish estuaries, and nearly fresh water |
| Human use | Popular with some anglers as a wary, powerful fighter | Supports significant commercial and recreational fisheries, valued as food and for its roe |
| Conservation status | Least Concern, in coastal waters from Norway to Senegal and the Mediterranean | Least Concern, in coastal and estuarine waters across tropical and temperate regions worldwide |
Thicklip Grey Mullet vs Striped Mullet: common questions
Which mullet leaps out of the water?
The striped mullet, which frequently leaps entirely out of the water, though the exact reason is still debated.
Why is it called thicklip?
It has a thick, fleshy upper lip with small, wart-like bumps, which gives the fish its name.
Do both enter brackish water?
Yes, both move into estuaries and brackish water, and the striped mullet tolerates nearly fresh water too.