Gray snapper
Lutjanus griseus
(Linnaeus, 1758)
Description:
Body oblong-shaped, with a triangular head and a shallow notched tail.
Slightly upturned snout with a large mouth and prominent canine teeth near the front of the jaw. Dorsal profile of the head slightly concave. Body varies from pale gray to dark gray or reddish brown, often tinged with olive, bronze or red. Color may lighten or darker dramatically. Occasionally with faint body bars or blotches, tail may have a dark margin. Anal fin rounded.
Young specimens have a dark stripe from the snout through the eye to the upper opercle and a blue stripe on the cheek below the eye.
Size up to 89 cm.
Habitat:
Inhabits coastal as well as offshore waters, down to 180m. Found around reefs, rocky areas, estuaries, mangrove areas and sometimes in lower reaches of rivers. Often forming large aggregations. Feeds mainly at night on small fish, shrimps, crabs, gastropods, cephalopods and some planktonic species.
Distribution:
Occasional to common Florida, Bahamas and Caribbean.