Fun Sprat Facts For Kids

Sprattus is a member of the Clupeidae family, commonly known as a sprat. Other members of the Clupeidae family include sardines, shads, and herrings.

They are found in Europe, New Zealand, and Australia. Their habitat includes open oceans, estuaries, pelagic regions, and inshore waters There are various species of Sprattus namely Sprattus Antipodum, Sprattus Feugensis, Sprattus Muelleri, Sprattus Novaehollandiae, and the most common species, Sprattus Sprattus which is also known as European Sprat.

These fishes are highly active and swim almost the whole day. The food of this fish includes fish eggs and larvae, zooplankton, and copepod. These fish are also preyed upon by other marine mammals and birds.

The development of larvae and other reproductive factors highly depends on environmental factors. These fish are edible and can be eaten fresh as well as canned or dried or frozen.

Not only these fish are interesting to know about, but there are also certain benefits of these fishes too. Read on for more on the Sprat (Sprattus), and check out milkfish facts and pumpkinseed sunfish facts when you're done.

Sprat Interesting Facts

What type of animal is a Sprat?

A Sprat fish is a ray-finned fish.

What class of animal does a Sprat belong to?

Sprat fish belongs to the class of fishes.

How many Sprats are there in the world?

There have been no specific number of total sprats in the world recorded yet.

Where does a Sprat live?

Sprats are found in the Baltic, North, and Black sea.

What is a Sprat's habitat?

A sprat fish is usually found in inshore waters and sometimes in estuaries that have a salinity level low as four. They are also found in pelagic regions and open oceans.

Who do Sprat live with?

Sprat fish tends to live in schools and also migrate together in schools along with other fishes.

How long does a Sprat live?

They are known to live for about five to seven years.

How do they reproduce?

The reproduction happens through spawning which takes place in summer and spring and in certain places like northern Adriatic around December to March. The eggs are fertilized outside the body.

The females release their eggs in the water column and males release their sperm for fertilization. Around 10,000-40,000 eggs are laid in a year. The average time from fertilization to hatching is 15 days.

When a young sprat fish hatches, they drift into the shore and the juveniles live and prey in protected estuaries and bays. The breeding takes place near the coast and sometimes at the sea.

What is their conservation status?

The conservation status for the sprat fish is Least Concern.

Sprat Fun Facts

What do Sprat look like?

A sprat fish is often confused with a juvenile herring. They have silverish or gray long bodies. It has a branched tail.

It has small, pointed, and branched anal and dorsal fins. The dorsal fins are located above the pelvic fins. The head is small and the lower jaw is mounted or lifted and protrudes slightly.

There are six pelvic fin rays, sometimes seven. They have keels on the scutes on the underside and dark flanks or spots are absent. They are relatively small but size varies from species to species.

How cute are they?

These fishes look like young herrings and are might only be considered cute because of their size and silverish color.

How do they communicate?

A lot is not known about the communication among these fishes but it is believed that their relatives, herring, communicate by blowing bubbles and producing sounds from their backside or farting. This usually takes place during the night without alerting predators and warning other herrings to form protective groups or schools.

How big is a Sprat?

A sprat fish is known to look like a young herring. It is relatively small and its weight ranges from 0.3-6.7 lb (0.1-3 kg) and it can grow up to 6.3 in (160 mm). While it is not that big, the size changes from species to species.

How fast can a Sprat swim?

A sprat fish is one highly active fish and swims continuously in the day.

How much does a Sprat weigh?

The weight of a Sprat fish ranges from 0.3-6.7 lb (0.1-3 kg).

What are their male and female names of the species?

There are no specific names for the male and female of the species.

What would you call a baby Sprat?

There is no specific name for a baby sprat.

What do they eat?

The diet of the sprat fish includes tiny organisms which are known as zooplankton. Commonly the diet includes fish eggs and larvae, copepods.

Are they dangerous?

Sprat fishes are not considered dangerous and are also considered good for health if eaten in a limited quantity.

Would they make a good pet?

Generally, sprat fishes are not kept in home aquariums and if they are kept, their care is quite similar to that of sardines. Although, it might be difficult to have them as pets.

The tanks of these fishes should be large and require round edges and strong currents to keep them swimming and these species need to have larger groups or schools according to their social behavior. Also, they have a habit of living in saltwater, which is quite difficult to maintain in home aquariums.

Did you know...

This fish migrates seasonally and vertically.

Sprattus and its species are a food source to many marine animals and fish.

Can you eat Sprat fish?

These fishes are consumed by humans and considered beneficial if added to human food and diet and several thousand tons are caught. A lot of times these fishes are sold in place of other Clupeidae fishes like sardines and confused with baby sardines.

These fishes are high in fatty acids and Omega-3 and are oily fish. They are also beneficial to be included in other pet food like dogs or cats. It helps with nutritional value and boosts and maintains heart function.

This fish is eaten by cooking it by different methods like boiling, grilling, and baking. They are also smoked and canned.

What kind of fish is sprat?

Sprat is a ray-finned fish. A rough belly differentiates sprat fish from other similar smaller fishes.  

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other fish including codfish, or fluke fish.

You can even occupy yourself at home by drawing one on our sprat coloring pages.