- Where to see one
- 4 U.S. zoos in our directory hold spadefish, confirmed against each zoo's own animal list.
Conservation status
Not Evaluated
This species has not been assessed for the IUCN Red List, so it sits outside the threat scale entirely.
About the spadefish
The Atlantic spadefish is a marine fish of the western Atlantic Ocean, found from Massachusetts south along the southeastern United States, through the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean, to Bermuda and the coast of Brazil. Its body is deep, flattened and disk-shaped, silver with four to six black vertical bands that fade with age, and adults have long trailing lobes on the second dorsal and anal fins. Juveniles live in estuaries, while adults favour mangroves, beaches and harbours. It feeds on small bottom-dwelling invertebrates such as crustaceans, mollusks and worms, and also on plankton. Most weigh 1.4 to 4.5 kg.
Spadefish facts
- A female can release up to one million eggs in a single spawning season, which runs from May to September.
- Its trailing fin lobes give it an angelfish-like look, and it is also called moonfish and ocean cobbler.
- The eggs hatch after about 24 hours.
- It is popular with anglers for its strong fight for its size, often caught on small pieces of clam.
Where to see spadefish in the U.S.
4 zoos across 4 states
Find the closest one
Rank the 4 zoos holding spadefish by how far they are from you. Your location is used in your browser to sort this list and is never sent to us.
AZAThe Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Accredited members have passed an independent inspection of animal care and welfare, safety, conservation and education, repeated every five years. Many smaller facilities never apply, so “not accredited” isn't a verdict on its own. What accreditation means · How we check this
Built from each zoo's own published animal list.
