Mullet

ID points

• Broad flat head, a transparent fatty eyelid over the eye
• Two widely separated dorsal fins, the first with spines only
• Small mouth with a thin lower lip, often scraping in shallow water

Basics

Family

Mugilidae

Length

30–70 cm

Depth

0-120 m

Regions

Indo-Pacific reefs · Caribbean & W. Atlantic · Temperate & polar · Estuary & freshwater

Distribution

Tropical and temperate coasts and estuaries worldwide

Habitat

Coastal shallows and estuaries

Diet

Algae and organic detritus in bottom mud

Easily confused with

Flying FishHugely enlarged pectoral fins that spread like a pair of wingsMackerelBlue-green back covered with dark wavy barsBarracudaLong spear-like body with a bright silvery sheen

Fun fact

Mullet have two stomachs. The first has thick, gizzard-like walls that grind up the algae and organic debris they sift out of the mud. They also leap clear of the surface, and nobody yet knows why.