Lookdown

Selene vomer

The lookdown is a silvery, flat-bodied fish with:

• A flattened head with a large, low-placed mouth.
• A deeply forked tail and a small tail base.

Juvenile lookdowns have long, feathery filaments on their dorsal and pectoral fins.

Lookdowns can grow to a foot or longer, but rarely exceed 2 to 3 pounds.

Where does the lookdown live?

Lookdowns visit the lower Chesapeake Bay in summer and autumn, occasionally ranging as far north as Calvert and Talbot counties in Maryland. They are most often found in small schools over sandy bottoms near bridges and pilings.

What does the lookdown eat?

Lookdowns feed on small worms, fishes and crustaceans.

How does the lookdown reproduce?

Lookdowns spawn by laying eggs in the water column. Little else is known about their reproductive cycle.

Other facts about the lookdown:

• Lookdowns are members of the jack family.
• The lookdown gets its name from the way it appears to “look down” as it swims.

Image copyright Diane Rome Peebles