| Polar cod | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Gadiformes |
| Family: | Gadidae |
| Genus: | Boreogadus |
| Species: | B. saida |
| Binomial name | |
| Boreogadus saida (Lepechin, 1774) |
|
The polar cod (Boreogadus saida), also known as the Arctic cod, is a fish of the cod family Gadidae, related to the true cod (genus Gadus). Note that there is another fish with the common name Arctic cod, Arctogadus glacialis.
The polar cod has a slender body, deeply forked tail, projecting mouth and a small whisker on its chin. It is plainly coloured with brownish spots and a silvery body. It grows to a length of 30 cm. The polar cod is found further north than any other fish species (beyond 84°N) with a distribution spanning the Arctic seas off northern Russia, Alaska, Canada, and Greenland.
This fish is most commonly found at the water's surface, but is also known to travel at depths greater than 900 m. The polar cod is known to frequent river mouths. It is a hardy fish that survives best at temperatures of 0–4 °C but may tolerate colder temperatures owing to the presence of antifreeze protein compounds in its blood. They group in large schools in ice-free waters.
The polar cod feeds on plankton and krill. It is in turn the primary food source for narwhals, belugas, ringed seals and seabirds. They are fished commercially in Russia.
Media related to [//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Boreogadus_saida Boreogadus saida] at Wikimedia Commons