A crimson reef fish of the Gulf of Mexico and Western Atlantic, central to American sport and seafood fisheries.
Where it lives
Red snapper inhabit hard-bottomed reefs, wrecks, and underwater ridges across the Gulf of Mexico and the southeastern U.S. Atlantic from Cape Hatteras to Yucatan. Adults occupy depths from 30 to 200 m; juveniles use shallower shelly bottoms.
How to recognise it
A robust, oval body of intense pinkish-red, paler on the belly. The eye is red. Adults have a sloping forehead; juveniles bear a dark blotch high on the upper flank. The anal fin is angular and triangular, not rounded as in some look-alike snappers. Sharp canine teeth front the mouth.
Diet & behavior
Snapper are aggressive reef predators that take fish, crustaceans, and squid both from the bottom and the lower water column. They form loose aggregations over structure and spawn in summer in offshore aggregations.
Fisheries & Conservation
Listed as Vulnerable. Gulf of Mexico stocks were severely overfished by the 1990s but have rebuilt substantially under tight quota management and individual fishing quotas.
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Red Snapper starts with R . Browse other fish along the same letter.
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