Bony fish · Perciformes · Sparidae
Dentex
Dentex dentex
It faces a high risk of extinction in the wild over the medium term. See full glossary
The common dentex is a fish of the sea bream family, common in the Mediterranean, and also found in the Bay of Biscay, the North Atlantic and along the north-west African coast, including Madeira, the Canaries and Cape Verde. Its name refers to the large teeth it has. Little-used Spanish synonyms are rozón, sama and dentu.
Weight
up to 14.3 kg
Size
up to 1 m
Lifespan
20 years
Diet
Carnivore
Feeds mainly on other animals.
Sighting difficulty
Moderate
Fun facts
- GeneralOne of the most prized sea breams and one of the most vulnerable to overfishing.
- Catches fell by 37 % in the Mediterranean and by 70 % in West Africa; the IUCN estimates a decline of more than 30 % in the total population over three generations, some 36 years, up to 2009.
Life cycle & biology
- Skeleton type
- Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bony fish)
- Habitat & environment
- Rocky bottoms from 15 to 50 m
- Sexual maturity
- Length at first maturity 34.6 cm
Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dentex_dentex
Where to find it
See its range on the interactive mapWhere to watch it
Parques y spots de buceo donde se ha documentado esta especie — se muestran 20 de 109 documentados.
Related species
Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with Dentex — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.
Pandora
Pagellus erythrinus
White Seabream
Diplodus sargus
Least ConcernGilthead
Sparus aurata
Saupe
Sarpa salpa
Porbeagle
Lamna nasus
VulnerableGrayfish
Alopias vulpinus
How to help
The dentex is classified as vulnerable. Organizations such as UICN, WWF y Wildlife Conservation Society work specifically on its conservation and that of its habitat; looking into their programs is a good starting point if you want to get involved.
It's documented in 17 real protected areas — part of why protecting these places matters for its conservation.
Keep exploring
Based on what we already know about dentex.
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