Animal Profiles
Fish

Atlantic mackerel

Scomber scombrus

Living

Living individuals or members of this group exist today. This does not mean they are safe from extinction.

Atlantic mackerel are streamlined schooling fishes of northern seas. Dark markings across the back and a plain pale belly make a distinctive pattern on a fast-moving marine predator.

Atlantic mackerel (Scomber scombrus), a caught specimen photographed out of water.

Atlantic mackerel (Scomber scombrus), a caught specimen photographed out of water.

Mikael Nyman · CC BY

At a glance

Location
Scomber scombrus occupies cold and temperate North Atlantic shelf waters, including the Mediterranean. Schools use surface waters seasonally and may spend winter farther down in the water column.
Habitat
Coast, Open ocean
Diet
Carnivore
Food
Zooplankton and small fishes supply food.

Classification

Common name
Atlantic mackerel
Browse group
Fish
Scientific name or taxon
Scomber scombrus
Taxon rank
species
Order
Perciformes
Family
Scombridae
Genus
Scomber

Taxonomy checked against GBIF. For breeds and hybrids, this describes the listed parent taxon.

Three things to know

  • It forms large schools.
  • It has no swim bladder.
  • Its eggs and larvae drift in the sea.

Habitat and range

Scomber scombrus occupies cold and temperate North Atlantic shelf waters, including the Mediterranean. Schools use surface waters seasonally and may spend winter farther down in the water column.

Appearance and adaptations

The body is streamlined, with oblique dark markings across the back and an unmarked belly. Unlike many bony fishes, Atlantic mackerel have no swim bladder.

Diet and behaviour

Zooplankton and small fishes supply food. Feeding and seasonal movements bring fish towards coastal waters in spring. Eggs and larvae drift freely in the sea rather than being attached to a nest.

Sources

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