Sea Bream

This Sparus aurata, Sea Bream was filmed by snorkeling in the summer among bathers. In fact, in summer Sea Bream is less suspicious and it is easy to see it swimming with mask and snorkel while it is quiet looking for food among rocks or sand. We met her on a rocky bottom a few meters deep while exploring the seabed in search of molluscs, crustaceans, and other organisms that she feeds on. Orata Sparus aurata sea bream Mediterranean Sea Intotheblue.it

Sparus aurata Orata Snorkeling intotheblue.it

Sea bream is present throughout the Mediterranean basin and in the eastern Atlantic, from the extreme south of the British islands to Cape Verde. It is a fish belonging to the Sparidae family, strictly coastal and lives between 5 and 150 m from the coast; it frequents both hard and sandy bottoms, is particularly widespread at the boundary between the two substrates. Normally leads a solitary life or in small groups. It is a very Eurialine species, so much so that it can frequently be found in lagoons and estuaries, but it is extremely sensitive to low temperatures. It is very common in Italian seas.

The Sparidae are a family of fish in the order Periformes, commonly called sea breams and porgies. The sheepshead, scup and red seabream are species in this family. Most sparids are deep-bodied compressed fish with a small mouth separated by a broad space from the eye, a single dorsal fin with strong spines and soft rays, a short anal fin, long pointed pectoral fins and rather large firmly attached scales. They are found in shallow temperate and tropical waters and are bottom-dwelling carnivores.

There are hermaphrodites in the Sparidae. Protogyny and protandry appear sporadically through this lineage of fish. Simultaneous hermaphrodites and bi-directional hermaphrodites do not appear as much since Sparidae are found in shallower waters. Species of fish that express a hermaphroditic condition usually “lack a genetic hardwire”, therefore ecological factors play a role in sex determination.

Most species possess grinding, molar-like teeth. Some of the species, such as Polysteganus undulosus, have been subject to everfishing, or exploitation beyond sustainable recovery.

(extract from Wikipedia)