Animal Profiles
Fish

Sardines

Clupeidae

Living

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

Sardine is a common name applied to several small schooling fishes. This account follows the Pacific sardine, using the California-region population to describe its coastal movements and plankton feeding.

Pacific sardine (Sardinops sagax), the representative described here.

Pacific sardine (Sardinops sagax), the representative described here.

harum.koh from Kobe city, Japan · CC BY-SA

At a glance

Location
The representative is Sardinops sagax. The cited FishBase account groups several regional forms, so this text focuses on the northeastern Pacific rather than treating every sardine as one worldwide population.
Habitat
Coast, Open ocean
Diet
Filter feeder
Food
Plankton supply food, with the balance of animal and plant plankton changing with age.

Classification

Common name
Sardines
Browse group
Fish
Scientific name or taxon
Clupeidae
Taxon rank
family
Order
Clupeiformes
Family
Clupeidae
Source classification
Actinopterygii

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

Three things to know

  • It forms coastal schools.
  • Plankton supply its food.
  • California-region fish move seasonally.

Habitat and range

The representative is Sardinops sagax. The cited FishBase account groups several regional forms, so this text focuses on the northeastern Pacific rather than treating every sardine as one worldwide population.

Appearance and adaptations

A blue-green back contrasts with pale silvery sides. Dark spots can form rows along the flanks. The rounded body and schooling habit are characteristic of this small pelagic fish.

Diet and behaviour

Plankton supply food, with the balance of animal and plant plankton changing with age. Coastal schools move seasonally; California-region fish tend to move north in summer and return south in autumn.

Sources

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