Grayling

The grayling grows to a maximum recorded length of 60 cm (24 in) and a maximum recorded weight of 6.7 kg (15 lb). Of typical Thymallus appearance, the grayling proper is distinguished from the similar Arctic grayling (T. arcticus arcticus) by the presence of 5–8 dorsal and 3–4 anal spines, which are absent in the other species; T. thymallus also has a smaller number of soft rays in these fins. Individuals of the species have been recorded as reaching an age of 14 years.

The grayling prefers cold, clean, running riverine waters, but also occurs in lakes and, exceptionally, in brackish waters around the Baltic Sea. Omnivorous, the fish feeds on vegetable matter, as well as crustaceans, insects and spiders, molluscs, zooplankton, and smaller fishes, such as Eurasian minnows. Grayling are also prey for larger fish, including the huchen (Hucho hucho).

With the Arctic grayling, T. thymallus is one of the economically important Thymallus species, being raised commercially and fished for sport.

The grayling is a protected species listed in Appendix III of the Bern Convention. It has become critically endangered in the Baltic Sea.^[4]

The term "grayling" is often used to refer generically to the Thymallus species, and T. thymallus is sometimes called the European grayling for clarity. There are many obsolete synonyms for the species.

Thymallus thymallus is the type species of its genus.