Golden Grey Mullet

Chelon auratus

The golden grey mullet (Chelon auratus) is a medium-sized mullet species found throughout the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea. Adults reach 30-45 cm in length and display a streamlined, silvery body with a distinctive golden-yellow spot on the gill cover, which gives the species its name. They form large schools in shallow coastal waters, estuaries, harbors, and lagoons at depths of 0-20 meters. As detritivores and herbivores, they feed by scooping up sand and mud from the bottom, filtering out algae, organic detritus, and small invertebrates. They are highly tolerant of varying salinity levels and frequently enter freshwater rivers. Their schooling behavior creates impressive underwater scenes, particularly when sunlight filters through shallow water illuminating the silvery flanks. Divers commonly encounter them in Mediterranean harbors and coastal sites, where they have become habituated to human presence and can be approached closely.