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Kelp bass

Paralabrax clathratus

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Fun Facts

Hundreds of these fish can gather in one area to spawn. They release eggs that drift and hatch to produce larvae. The larvae keep drifting and then settle in shallow habitats with algae. 

Species Type:

Fishes

Common Name(s):

Kelp bass

Size:

These fish can grow to 28.4 inches (72.1 centimeters) long.

Diet:

As predators in kelp forests, these fish eat other fishes along with plankton and invertebrate animals like crustaceans that live on or around kelp.

Range & Habitat:

These fish live within or near kelp beds in the eastern Pacific, from California south through Baja California.

Details:

These fish are brown to olive green on their upper body, with pale patches. Breeding males tend to have yellow-orange snouts and stronger black and white coloration, while breeding females often become black and lose their spots.