John Dory

Bony Fish

Identification & Biology

• IdentificationDeep, extremely laterally compressed body with a very large, protrusible mouth. Grey-green to golden body with a large, distinctive black spot ringed with yellow on each flank. Long, filamentous spines on the dorsal fin.
• SizeUp to 66 cm total length and 8 kg, commonly 25 to 40 cm.
• Social HabitSolitary and slow-moving. Stalks prey by drifting imperceptibly closer until within striking range.
• HabitatRocky reefs, sandy bottoms, and midwater near structures. Found from the shallows to deep continental shelf.
• Depth5 to 400 m, most common between 10 and 100 m.
• Feeds OnSmall fish, especially sardines and sand smelts, caught by rapidly extending the protrusible mouth to create powerful suction.
• DistributionEastern Atlantic from Norway to South Africa, including the entire Mediterranean Sea.
• DescriptionOne of the most recognisable fish in the Mediterranean, with its compressed, disc-like body and famous dark eyespot. The John Dory is an ambush predator that approaches prey head-on, presenting the thinnest possible profile, before striking with explosive speed. The mouth can extend to enormous proportions, generating suction that inhales the prey fish whole.