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| SCIENTIFIC
CLASSIFICATION |
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| COMMON
NAME: |
grouper |
| KINGDOM: |
Animalia |
| PHYLUM: |
Chordata |
| CLASS: |
Osteichthyes |
| ORDER: |
Perciformes |
| FAMILY: |
Serranidae |
| GENUS
SPECIES: |
No
data |
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| SIZE: |
Up
to a length of 3 m (10 ft.) for some species |
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| WEIGHT: |
Can
reach weights greater than 454 kg (1,000 lb.) |
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| DIET: |
Other
fishes, squids, and crustaceans |
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| INCUBATION: |
Oviparous
(egg laying) |
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| LIFE
SPAN: |
Relatively
long-lived; some groupers have lived at SeaWorld,
San Diego for more than 30 years |
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| POPULATION: |
GLOBAL |
No
data |
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| STATUS: |
IUCN |
Several
species listed as Vulnerable or Threatened |
| CITES |
Not
listed |
| USFWS |
Not listed |
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| 1. |
Some
fish in this family can grow to incredible sizes,
such as the jewfish (Epinephelus itajara)
of the tropical Atlantic Ocean and the Queensland
grouper (E. lanceolatus) of Australia. Both
of these fishes can reach lengths of more than 3
m (10 ft.) and weights greater than 454 kg (1,000
lb.). |
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| 2. |
E. itajara grows so large that some believe
it was the great fish that swallowed Jonah, the
Jewish prophet of the Old Testament, hence the name
"jewfish." |
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| 3. |
Some groupers are so huge that when they open their
mouths to feed, they create a suction that is powerful
enough to inhale small prey. |
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| 4. |
In
addition to their possible great size, another defense
that some groupers have is the ability to change
the color of their skin. Sometimes this color change
is simple, such as turning from dark to light in
order to blend in with varying levels of light.
The Caribbean coney (Cephalopholis fulva)
demonstrates a more advanced color shift. Normally
this fish is chocolate brown with blue-rimmed black
spots. If disturbed, the Caribbean coney will try
to hide in a coral crevice, which normally has a
white, sandy bottom. To blend in with this environment,
this fish alters its color so that its lower body
fades to white and its spots contract to tiny pinpoints.
Other groupers have developed color patterns composed
of stripes, spots, or blotches that help them to
blend in with the bottom of coral reef areas. |
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| 5. |
Groupers
may undergo a sex reversal as they age. All young
yellowmouth groupers (Mycteroperca interstitialis)
are born females, but as they grow larger they change
into males. Only small percentages survive long
enough to become a male, thus ensuring the greater
majority are egg-laying females. Even more surprising,
some in the genus Serranus are rare examples
of fishes that can be male and female at the same
time. |
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| 6. |
For
more information about bony fishes, explore the
bony
fishes info book. |
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| Groupers
have been over fished in many parts of the world.
Depending on the country and species, groupers may
be protected. In the United States, jewfish and
Nassau groupers (E. striatus) are protected
from all harvesting. Bag limits and size restrictions
have been placed on other grouper species in the
United States as well. |
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|
| Andrews,
A., Parham, D. and W. Street. Bony Fishes.
SeaWorld Education Department Publication. San Diego,
SeaWorld, Inc. 1995. |
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Burgess, W. and H.R. Axelrod. Pacific Marine
Fishes. Books 1 & 2. Neptune City, NJ. T.F.H.
Publications, Inc. Ltd. 1971. |
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Eschmeyer, W.N., Herald, E.S. and H. Hammann.
Peterson Field Guide to Pacific Coast Fishes.
New York. Houghton Mifflin Co. 1983.
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| http://www.coralreefnetwork.com/marlife/fishes/fishes.htm |
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| http://www.fishbase.org/ |
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