Burbot’s head is wide and flat and it has a barbell that points forward at an angle. Burbot is predominantly brownish in colour, but greenish grey and blackish brown burbots are also common. The burbot’s skin is covered with small round scales, but the skin practically looks almost like leather. It locates its prey, bottom animals and fish, using its sense of smell and by touching the bottom with its fins and barbells. Approximately eighty percent of Finnish burbots are blind. The blindness is caused by a parasitic cataract. The sense of sight is not important for the burbot. Hence even the blind ones are usually just as fit as the seeing burbots.
Burbot prosper in deep, cool waters. During spawning season, January to March, they meander in shallow coastal waters and spread their spawn into the sand, during a rambunctious mating ceremony. Burbot inhabit Finland’s inland and coastal waters. They may reach a length of one metre (that is, approximately 3.3 feet) and weigh up to 10 kilograms (that is, about 22 pounds).
