Sheepshead

Archosargus probatocephalus has an oval shaped, deep, laterally compressed body with a small blunt head, the dorsal and ventral profiles of the head being convex. It has moderately sized eyes, a small horizontal mouth and the preorbital bone overlaps the rear of the maxilla. The teeth at the front of the jaw are broad and flattened, the upper jaw has three rows of molar-like teeth at the sides and the lower jaw has two. The margin of the preoperculum is smooth, with no serrations or spines. The dorsal fin is long and not high and is supported by 12 spines, the front spine points towards the front and may be embedded, and 11 soft rays. The anal fin contains three spines, the second spine being very robust, and 9 or 10 soft rays. The pectoral fin is long, clearly greater in length than the pelvic fins, extending to the level of the middle spine of the anal fin. The caudal fin is forked.

Archosargus probatocephalus is found in the Western Atlantic Ocean where it ranges from Nova Scotia to Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil, including the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. It mainly occurs in coastal waters in the vicinity of rock pilings, jetties, mangrove roots, and piers, also in tidal creeks. It is euryhaline and shows a preference for brackish waters. It looks for warmer spots around springs and discharges of rivers and will occasionally enter freshwater in the winter.