Redear Herring
| Name: | Redear Herring |
| Scientific Name: | Harengula humeralis |
| Family: | Herrings |
| Taxonomic: | Clupeidae |
| ID Group: | Silvery Fishes |
| Size: | 3 - 6 in. |
| Depth Range: | In shallow waters (0 – 15 ft.) |
| Sightings: | Not usually seen |
The Redear Herring has a silvery, compressed body, a small head, and a blunt snout. It has faint, dotted orange stripes along its sides, a distinctive reddish-to-orange spot at the top of the gill cover, and a deeply forked tail fin.
The Redear Herring often swims in large, tight schools (also called bait balls) close to shore, especially over seagrass beds, feeding on tiny floating animals such as small crustaceans. They tend to be cautious and serve as an important food source for many larger predatory fish.