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Occurs in the Mediterranean and Atlantic Ocean from the Bay of Biscay to West Africa north off Cape Blanc and Madeira. Occasionally, dentex are found as far north as the British Isles and as far south as Senegal.

While inhabiting hard bottoms (rock or rubble) down to 200 m (656 ft), dentex are more commonly found between 15 and 50 m (50 and 165 ft). Adults are generally solitary, the young gregarious. Dentex are active predatory fish that feed on fish, molluscs, and cephalopods (octopus, cuttlefish, squid).

During the summer dentex approach the shore, but in winter migrate to deeper water. The dentex has an oval-shaped rather deep body with a massive, smoothly rounded head in adults. Very large individuals have a profile with a slight frontal hump. Both jaws have well developed canine-like teeth plus several rows of smaller teeth of similar shape

Color is variable but young are dentex are grayish, spotted with black on the back and upper sides, becoming pinkish with sexual maturity. Older individuals me bluish grey with spots becoming more or less diffuse with age. Some individuals have a yellow tinge behind the mouth and on the gill cover. The dentex can be distinguished from other similar species by the dark spots, which are always present in dentex and the several rows of canine-like teeth. Other species have more than one type of teeth or incisor-like teeth.

Fishing methods include, boiling with dead bait, live bait like mackerel, garfish, boga and squid or artificials such as rapalas in 10 to 50 m (33 to 165 ft). Bottom fishing in deeper waters with both live and dead bait such as anchovies, sardines, octopus or squid is also productive. A very popular game fish , dentex reportedly reach a weight of around 15 kg (33 Ib).