Goliath Grouper Identification

Video Transcript

The marine animal we are going to identify now, is the Goliath Grouper. Goliath Grouper are the largest fish that you will ever encounter on a coral reef. Yes, there are larger animals such as the whale shark. But a whale shark is an elasmobranch, not a fish. So, the biggest fish is the Goliath Grouper. They have been reported to reach eight feet in length but the largest one I've seen, was about six feet long and, the one shown here, is about five, to five and a half feet in length. And probably weighs in around three hundred pounds, or maybe a little bit more. The record Goliath Grouper caught around Florida, weighed in at six hundred and eighty pounds, with a length of just over eight feet. Goliath Groupers used to be very common around the waters of Florida but over fishing has greatly reduced their numbers, so they are fairly uncommon to see today. In fact, the over fishing of Goliath Groupers led to their designation as an endangered species in 1990 in the US and 1993 throughout the Caribbean. Goliath Grouper habitat ranges from Florida, to the Bahamas, throughout the Caribbean and down the Brazilian coast. Although having protective status for nearly 20 years now, their slow growth rate means that the Goliath Grouper remains an uncommon fish throughout its range. Goliath Groupers have small dark spots covering their bodies. They can range in color from yellowish brown to olive green. They generally also have darker blotches over their bodies and, like all Groupers, they can lighten or darken their colorization at will. They also have a rounded tail that differentiates them from the second largest Grouper, the Warsaw Grouper. Goliath Groupers can be found on reefs and wrecks, generally above a hundred and sixty five feet of depth. The one shown here was found at about hundred feet off Little Cayman. They like to be near caves or other sheltering, which they can hide from predators such as sharks, or divers, since they are generally reclusive by nature. Goliath Groupers like most Groupers, spawn in large aggregations. One of the reasons their numbers were so greatly reduced. It is thought that all Goliath Groupers are hermaphrodites. born female with some changing to male sex as they mature. They feed on crustaceans, such as lobsters, young sea turtles, other fish and octopi. That's the Goliath Grouper.

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