Fish
White musselcracker
Sparodon durbanensis
A heavy, grey reef seabream with a pavement of molars built for crushing mussels and urchins.
Also known as brusher, musselcracker, silver musselcracker, white musselcracker bream, witbiskop
- Typical size
- Attains about 115 cm
- Habitat
- Rocky reefs; juveniles in tidal pools
The white musselcracker is greyish with faint body stripes and, when alive, a bluish glow in the water. Its jaws carry flattened front teeth backed by many large rounded molars forming a crushing pavement - the equipment for cracking mussels, urchins and other hard-shelled prey. It reaches about 115 cm.
Young fish are vividly coloured and often found in tidal pools, while adults become solitary except at breeding time.