Antarctic Cod Identification Guide

Key identification features

• Robust, thick-bodied fish with a broad, somewhat flattened head
• Mottled dark brown, olive, or blackish coloration providing camouflage against rock and algae
• Two closely spaced dorsal fins, the first shorter and spinier than the long second dorsal
• Thick lips and a blunt snout
• Large pectoral fins used for perching on the bottom
• Typically 12-24 inches, with a heavy-set, almost sculpin-like build

Common look-alikes

• Icefish: pale, whitish to translucent body and gills from a lack of red blood cells, unlike the Antarctic cod's darker, opaque coloration
• Toothfish: grows much larger, has a more elongated body, and lives in deeper offshore water rather than close to shore
• Other notothen species: often separated by subtle differences in fin ray counts and head shape, though general mottled camouflage and stout build are shared

Where you'll see one

Antarctic cod live on the shallow continental shelf around Antarctica and sub-Antarctic islands, often resting on rocky or algae-covered bottom among kelp holdfasts. They are largely sedentary bottom-dwellers well adapted to sub-zero water temperatures.