Snapper

ID points

• Spindle-shaped and slightly deep body, with a shallowly forked tail fin
• Large mouth with a pair of obvious canine teeth in the upper jaw
• Often hangs in large schools off the outer reef wall

Basics

Family

Lutjanidae

Length

30–80 cm

Depth

1-100 m

Regions

Indo-Pacific reefs · Caribbean & W. Atlantic

Distribution

Tropical and subtropical coral and rocky reefs worldwide

Habitat

Coral and rocky reef walls

Diet

Fish, crustaceans

Easily confused with

Sea BreamBody deep and flattened side to side, with a smoothly curved backCoral HindOrange-red ground covered with small blue dots edged in darkCoral TroutOrange-red ground covered in tiny blue spots

Fun fact

The English name snapper comes from the way the fish snaps shut on its prey. Its mouth is lined with well-developed canines, and it usually gathers in shoals around rocky reefs. It is an important food fish worldwide, landed in huge quantities in the South China Sea, where it is commonly known as the red fish.