Merluccius merluccius
| European hake | |
|---|---|
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Gadiformes |
| Family: | Merlucciidae |
| Subfamily: | Merlucciinae |
| Genus: | Merluccius |
| Species: | M. merluccius |
| Binomial name | |
| Merluccius merluccius (Linnaeus, 1758) | |
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The European hake (Merluccius merluccius) is a merluccid hake of the genus Merluccius. It sometimes was called the "herring hake",[1] perhaps because it often feeds on Atlantic herring, so is likely to be netted along with herring. This is consistent with a 19th-century account:
"It is a very voracious fish, devouring great numbers of herrings and pilchards; hence it is frequently called the Herring Hake."[2]
European hake is found in the Mediterranean Sea, the North Sea, and the eastern Atlantic Ocean between Iceland and Mauritania. It is a night predator which during the day stays on sandy or muddy abyssal plains, at depths usually between 30 and 400 m (98 and 1,312 ft), although it has been found at depths down to 1,000 m (3,300 ft). It can reach a length around 140 cm (55 in), with a weight up to 15 kg (33 lb).
The young feed on crustaceans, but as they grow, they start to feed on small and medium-sized fish and cephalopods. The adults show cannibalistic behaviour, eating smaller members of their own species.
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References
- ↑ van Wely, F. P. H. Prick (1951). Cassell's English-Dutch, Dutch-English dictionary. London: Cassell.
- ↑ Chambers, W. & R. (1872). Chambers's encyclopedia. Edinburgh: W & R Chambers.
- Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2009). "Merluccius merluccius" in FishBase. January 2009 version.