Sardine (Sardina Pilchardus)
Latin name: Sardina pilchardus
Common name: Sardine
In other languages: E: Sardina, F: Commun, D: Sardine
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Clupeiformes
Family: Clupeidae
Genus: Sardina
Habitat: Winters in deeper water but moves into more shallow coastal waters during the summer months.
Behaviour: A pelagic shoaling fish.
Diet: Zooplankton, fish eggs and fish larvae.
Size: Common: 15 - 20cm, maximum: 25 cm.
Did you know? Like all of this family (clupedidae) it is a very commercial fish. Within the fishing industry juvenile sardines are tinned and sold as sardines while the adults are tinned and sold as pilchards. This practical method of separation for the marketing of this singular fish has led many to believe that they are two totally separate species, when in fact they are both one and the same.