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Ophiodon elongatus.png
Ophiodon elongatus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Superclass: Osteichthyes
Class: Actinopterygii
Subclass: Neopterygii
Order: Scorpaeniformes[1]
Family: Hexagrammidae
Genus: Ophiodon
Girard, 1854
Species: O. elongatus
Binomial name
Ophiodon elongatus
Girard, 1854
Lingcod range.PNG
Range of the lingcod.

The lingcod or ling cod (Ophiodon elongatus), also known as the buffalo cod or cultus cod, is a fish of the greenling family Hexagrammidae. It is the only extant member of the genus Ophiodon.[2] A slightly larger, extinct species, Ophiodon ozymandias, is known from fossils from the Late Miocene of Southern California.[3]

Ophiodon elongatus is native to the North American west coast from Shumagin Islands in the Gulf of Alaska to Baja California, Mexico. It has been observed up to a size of 152 cm (60 in) and a weight of 59 kg (130 lbs).[4] It is spotted in various shades of grey. The lingcod is a popular eating fish, and is thus prized by anglers. Though not closely related to either ling or cod, the name "lingcod" originated because it somewhat resembles those fish. Around 20% of lingcods have blue-green to turquoise flesh.[5]p.298 The colour is destroyed by cooking.[6] The colour may be due to biliverdin, but this has not been established beyond doubt.[7]

Distribution and lifecycle[edit]

Lingcod are endemic to the west coast of North America, with the center of abundance off the coast of British Columbia. They are found on the bottom, with most individuals occupying rocky areas at depths of 10 to 100 m (32 to 328 ft). Tagging studies have shown lingcod are a largely nonmigratory species, with colonization and recruitment occurring in localized areas only.[8]


The larvae are pelagic until late May or early June, when they settle to the bottom as juveniles. Initially they inhabit eelgrass beds, then move to flat, sandy areas that are not the typical habitat of older lingcod. They eventually settle in habitats of similar relief and substrate as older lingcod, but remain at shallower depths for several years.

Skeleton of a lingcod


Lingcod are voracious predators, feeding on nearly anything they can fit in their mouths, including invertebrates and many species of fish, such as herring (Clupea pallasii), salmon, and Pacific hake (Merluccius productus). One of their favorite foods is smaller octopuses, and they also readily devour large rockfish. Lingcod that survive the larval stages have few predators themselves, and are vulnerable mainly to marine mammals, such as sea lions and harbor seals.

Age determination[edit]






  5. ^ Love, Milton S. (2011). Certainly more than you want to know about the fishes of the Pacific Coast : a postmodern experience (PDF). Santa Barbara, Calif.: Really Big Press. ISBN 978-0962872563. Retrieved 18 October 2014. 
  6. ^ "EDF Seafood Selector: Lingcod". 
  7. ^ Bland, Alastair. "Red Fish, Blue Fish: Where The Fish Flesh Rainbow Comes From". the salt. NPR. Retrieved 18 October 2014. 
  8. ^ DFO, 2001, Lingcod, DFO Science Stock Report A6-18


Other references[edit]

  • Lingcod NOAA FishWatch. Retrieved 5 November 2012.