Cod called cod: "Cod" forms part of the common name of many other fish no longer classified in the genus "Gadus". Many are members of the family Gadidae; others are members of three related families within the order Gadiformes whose names include the word "cod": the morid cods, Moridae (100 or so species); the eel cods, Muraenolepididae (four species); and the Eucla cod, Euclichthyidae (one species). The tadpole cod family (Ranicipitidae) has now been placed in Gadidae. Gadiformes include: Some fish have common names derived from "cod", such as codling, codlet or tomcod. ("Codling" is also used as a name for
Cod to in the first six months, by the end of their first year, and to by the end of the second. Growth tends to be less at higher latitudes. Cod reach maturity at about at about 3 to 4 years of age. Adult cod are active hunters, feeding on sand eels, whiting, haddock, small cod, squid, crabs, lobsters, mussels, worms, mackerel, and molluscs. In the Baltic Sea the most important species are Atlantic cod, herring, and sprat. Many studies that analyze the stomach contents of these fish indicate that cod is the top predator, preying on the herring and sprat.