PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Three separate dorsal fins, two separate anal fins. Dorsal and anal fins touching at their bases or separated by very narrow gaps. Chin barbel present. Pelvic fins sometimes with one elongate ray. Head relatively narrow and long. Snout to base of first dorsal fin length <33% of total length. Overall brownish to greenish gray on upper sides, paler ventrally. Body covered with spots, sometimes vague. [This is great but it still does not tell me whether or not it has scales - Maergaal]
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Mature Gadus morhua grow to approximately 120 cm in length, weighing around 12 kg, however larger fish have been recorded. Age of maturity varies regionally but is usually between one and fifteen years. Colour is variable depending on habitat but most are spotted with white bellies. Atlantic cod are commonly found on sandy bottoms and are often mottled brown in appearance. This is a heavy and powerful fish with three dorsal and two anal fins, all slightly rounded, and either a square or rounded tail fin. The upper jaw overhangs the lower and the long chin barbel is equal to the eye in diameter. A prominent curved, white (or very pale) lateral line makes this species easy to identify. [This is great but it still does not tell me whether or not it has scales - Maergaal]
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Wikipedia has nothing of value!!
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Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua, has a whitish-coloured belly and has a hair-like ‘whisker’ on its chin called a barbel. The scales are small and smooth, can be grey or green in colour, but may be brown or reddish. The mouth is large with a projecting upper jaw and the gill openings are wide. The lateral line of the cod is pale, and the tail is slightly concave, almost square. The flesh is white, moist and delicate with a mild, sweet taste.
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Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua (Linnaeus, 1758), is one of the most popular food fish in the western world. Distinguished by a distinctive elongated hairlike structure called a "barbell" that hangs from its chin, it also has three dorsal fins, two anal fins, and a broom-shaped tail. The Atlantic cod is longer-lived and larger than its Pacific counterpart, and may reach 25 years in age, 200 centimeters in length, and 96 kilograms in mass. (Most Atlantic cod, however, weigh closer to about 30 kilograms.) Atlantic cod are brown to green or gray on the dorsal side and flanks, with a pale ventral side and smooth, small scales.