There are more interesting facts about the John Dory aside from its name. For one, are you interested to know about the average size of a John Dory? This fish comes from the genus Zeus and can also be called St. Pierre. This fish has large eyes that are located at the front of its head. This position of its eyes gives it depth of perception and bifocal vision. These characteristics plus the size of a John Dory can come in handy when there are predators. Its eye spot on its side can bewilder the prey and they can easily scoop it on their big mouth. This type of fish is edible and this can be found in many countries.
Some Facts about the Name
Aside from the size of a John Dory, there are also many interesting stories about its name. The origin of its name has many different explanations. There are some people that attribute it to John Dory, a known hero of an ancient ballad. There are versions that state that John was used because in French, it means jaune or yellow. It was also used at the novel written by Jules Verne, An Antarctic Mystery. In the story, this was said to be brought to the Lord by the keeper of the gates of Heaven, St. Peter. There was even a legend about the dark spot on the flank of this fish species, which was believed to be St. Peter's thumbprint. These details only prove that there are so much more to learn about this, including the size of a John Dory.
More Information about this Fish
Before tackling the subject about the size of a John Dory, here are some more useful details about this. This kind of fish can be typically found at the coasts of South East Asia, Australia, Africa, Japan, Europe and New Zealand. Its habitat is near the seabed at depths of 5 to 360 meters. They usually stalk on their prey, shoot out a tube on the mouth of its captive to get their food. They eat many varieties of fish like sardines, squid, cuttlefish, but they mostly feed on schooling fish. Its main predators include bony kinds of fish and sharks. It can last for about 12 years in the wild. They can already reproduce by the time they reach the age of three or four. This happens at the end of the winter season. They release the eggs and sperms on the water to fertilize.
About the Size
The maximum size of a John Dory is 65 cm. At its peak, this can weigh around 3 kilos. It has a dorsal fin with 10 long spines and an anal fin with four spines. The scales of this fish are sharp and microscopic. The body is flat and round, which contribute to its weakness when it comes to swimming. Its color is olive green, with belly that is silvery white and it has dark spots on the side of its body.
This kind of fish is very in demand when it comes to exclusive dining experience. This is why this is actually popular in many places in different countries around the globe.