The
capelin or
caplin,
Mallotus villosus, is a small
forage fish of the
smelt family found in the
Atlantic and
Arctic oceans. In summer, it grazes on dense swarms of
plankton at the edge of the ice shelf. Larger capelin also eat a great deal of
krill and other
crustaceans.
Whales,
seals,
cod, squid, mackerel, beluga whales and
seabirds all prey on capelin, in particular during the spawning season of the capelin while it migrates southwards. Capelin spawn on sandy beaches and sandy bottom at the age of 2–6 years, and have an extremely high mortality rate on the beaches after spawning, for males close to 100% mortality. Males reach 20 cm in length, while females are up to 25 cm long. They are olive-colored dorsally, shading to silver on sides. Males have a translucent ridge on both sides of their bodies. The ventral aspects of the males iridesce reddish at the time of spawn.