Atlantic goliath grouper
Epinephelus itajara
Visual Appearance
Gigantic orange or black fish that could swallow you whole.
Classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Perciformes
Family: Serranidae
Subfamily: Epinephelinae
Size
Length: 2.5 meters (8.2 feet)
Weight: 363 kilograms (800 pounds).
Environment
Where Found: The Atlantic ocean
Habitat: rocky reefs, wrecks, artificial reefs, and oil platforms
Diet: crustaceans
Factoids
- In the 1950s, two children jumped off a bridge in the Florida Keys but only one came up; the other child was said to have been eaten by a Goliath grouper.
- The Atlantic goliath grouper can also be known as jewfish.
- The species was previously classified as critically endangered.