FOR AGES 3 YEARS TO 18 YEARS
At Kidadl we pride ourselves on offering families original ideas to make the most of time spent together at home or out and about, wherever you are in the world. We strive to recommend the very best things that are suggested by our community and are things we would do ourselves - our aim is to be the trusted friend to parents.
We try our very best, but cannot guarantee perfection. We will always aim to give you accurate information at the date of publication - however, information does change, so it’s important you do your own research, double-check and make the decision that is right for your family.
Kidadl provides inspiration to entertain and educate your children. We recognise that not all activities and ideas are appropriate and suitable for all children and families or in all circumstances. Our recommended activities are based on age but these are a guide. We recommend that these ideas are used as inspiration, that ideas are undertaken with appropriate adult supervision, and that each adult uses their own discretion and knowledge of their children to consider the safety and suitability.
Kidadl cannot accept liability for the execution of these ideas, and parental supervision is advised at all times, as safety is paramount. Anyone using the information provided by Kidadl does so at their own risk and we can not accept liability if things go wrong.
Are you interested to know about more fishes from the Sparidae family like the mahi-mahi? If yes, then hop on as we are going to learn about an interesting fish species. The gilt-head seabream or Sparus aurata is a sea fish found in the eastern Atlantic as well as in and around the Mediterranean Sea. This type of bream has a silvery body, but it's mostly known for the gold bar present between its eyes.
It is often raised in fisheries for human consumption, and people also enjoy fishing these breams. It's enjoyed as a delicacy in different European countries like Greece, Italy, and Spain. The reproduction system of this fish is quite interesting as the bream first develops as a male, and after a couple of years, it turns into a female to spawn.
Want to know more about this bream species? Keep reading for interesting gilt-head seabream. For more relatable content, check out these grass carp facts and common carp facts for kids.
The gilt-head seabream (Sparus aurata), also known as the Orata, is a type of bream belonging to the family Sparidae.
The gilthead seabream belongs to the class Actinopterygii. The gilthead seabream is also the only species in the genus Sparus.
As the gilt-head seabream is a popular part of fish productions for human consumption, we cannot really put a number to its population.
The Sparus aurata is mainly found in the coastal areas of the eastern Atlantic and in the Mediterranean Sea. It has also been reported to be found in the Black Sea. But, we don't know if this seabream is endemic to a particular place.
The habitat of this fish includes marine and brackish environments. It is usually found in sandy bottoms and seagrass beds, usually at a depth of not more than 98.4 ft (30 m). The temperature of a waterbody is important for this fish, and a group of these breams often move towards estuaries and lagoons during spring.
In an aquaculture farm or hatcheries, you can find the gilthead seabream fish kept together in the same pond. However, as a wild fish, it can either be solitary or move around in small groups.
In the wild, the gilthead seabream can survive for 11 years. However, as it's widely consumed by humans, often young fishes are caught during fishing. Often farmed fishes are caught as the bream reaches the age of 16 months.
The most interesting part of these breams from the Sparidae family is the system of reproduction. Most eggs develop into male fishes, but at around the age of three years, males turn into females to start spawning. This phenomenon makes this sea bream a protandric hermaphrodite fish. Generally, the spawning happens between the months of October-December, and females may lay around 20,000-80,000 eggs in a day. Several clutches can be produced in the length of four months. Under the right temperatures, the hatchlings can come out in only 48 hours. Rather than natural spawning, fisheries prefer the intensive system. The young are often fed on a high protein diet for faster growth.
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List, the gilthead sea bream is placed under the classification of Least Concern.
The gilthead seabream has a deeply compressed oval body with a curve in its head. This fish has a slightly oblique and low mouth with protruding lips and small eyes. Around 73-85 scales are present on the lateral line, and scales are also present on the cheek. The body is of a silvery gray color, and a large black patch can be seen extending from the lateral line to its opercle.
However, the most interesting thing about this bream fish is the golden line or band present between the eyes, and it's enclosed with dark areas. Because of this golden band, the fish is called the gilt-head seabream. Dark lines are also seen on the body, the dorsal fin, and the caudal or tail fin.
Unlike the beautiful parrotfish, we wouldn't really call the gilt-head bream a cute fish species, but its shiny dazzling body does look eye-catching.
When it comes to this marine fish species, we are yet to know a lot about it. However, fishes are usually known for having amazing ways of communication, which often include gestures and motions. Some fishes also communicate via electrical pulses. When it comes to the gilt-head bream, its visual senses matter the most, and the fish can adapt to seeing in different water environments.
The average body length range of the gilthead seabream is around 13-15.7 in (33-40 cm). However, there are instances where the gilt-head bream has achieved a length of up to 27.6 in (70 cm). Compared to it, the redbreast sunfish has a size of around 8-12 in (20.3-30.5 cm).
The burst swimming speed of the gilthead seabream has been said to be 1.1 mph (1.8 kph).
The average weight range of the gilthead seabream can go up to 16.2 lb (7.3 kg).
There are no separate names for male and female of this marine fish species.
A baby gilt-head seabream can be called a fry.
The gilthead seabream has an omnivorous diet, and they mainly scour the bottom of a waterbody in search of crustaceans, mollusks, polychaetes, and echinoderms. This species is especially fond of shellfish. Along with aquatic animals, this fish also feeds on plant matter, and as juveniles, its main form of food is zooplankton.
No, this isn't a dangerous fish, and it is widely eaten by humans.
This fish is usually just for consumption purposes.
In 2018, the estimated production of the Sparus aurata from the Sparidae family was thought to be around 224,966 ton (228,576 met ton). It's also one of the most produced fishes reared around the Mediterranean Sea.
Even though this fish is known as Orata in Italy, the people of Spain know it as the Dorada, and in France as Dorade.
Yes, the gild-head bream is a healthy fish, and people do love to eat it because of its taste and nutrition. It's especially a popular fish in Mediterranean cooking. Moreover, this fish is also a good source of B vitamins.
Tilapia is considered to be one of the most unhealthy fishes that one can consume. The foremost reason being the circumstances of raising the fish, which is often in an enclosed area. Moreover, the fish also has a reputation of being a food item through which humans can get mercury poisoning. Even though tilapia originated in the Middle East and Africa, the fish is now farmed and available all over the world. Compared to it, the rainbow trout is considered to be one of the healthiest fishes for human consumption.
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! For more relatable content, check out these codfish interesting facts and black marlin fun facts pages.
You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable tropical fish coloring pages.
Second image by Roberto Pillon.
Read The Disclaimer
At Kidadl we pride ourselves on offering families original ideas to make the most of time spent together at home or out and about, wherever you are in the world. We strive to recommend the very best things that are suggested by our community and are things we would do ourselves - our aim is to be the trusted friend to parents.
We try our very best, but cannot guarantee perfection. We will always aim to give you accurate information at the date of publication - however, information does change, so it’s important you do your own research, double-check and make the decision that is right for your family.
Kidadl provides inspiration to entertain and educate your children. We recognise that not all activities and ideas are appropriate and suitable for all children and families or in all circumstances. Our recommended activities are based on age but these are a guide. We recommend that these ideas are used as inspiration, that ideas are undertaken with appropriate adult supervision, and that each adult uses their own discretion and knowledge of their children to consider the safety and suitability.
Kidadl cannot accept liability for the execution of these ideas, and parental supervision is advised at all times, as safety is paramount. Anyone using the information provided by Kidadl does so at their own risk and we can not accept liability if things go wrong.
Kidadl is independent and to make our service free to you the reader we are supported by advertising.
We hope you love our recommendations for products and services! What we suggest is selected independently by the Kidadl team. If you purchase using the buy now button we may earn a small commission. This does not influence our choices. Please note: prices are correct and items are available at the time the article was published.
Kidadl has a number of affiliate partners that we work with including Amazon. Please note that Kidadl is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.
We also link to other websites, but are not responsible for their content.
Was this article helpful?
We’ll send you tons of inspiration to help you find a hidden gem in your local area or plan a big day out.
Check your inbox for your latest news from us. You have subscribed to:
Remember that you can always manage your preferences or unsubscribe through the link at the foot of each newsletter.