Details
Epinephelus lanceolatus
The giant grouper is a massive reef fish of the Indian and Pacific oceans. Active across day and night, it anchors its life around caves, ledges, and coral structure.
Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)
It uses coral reefs, rocky reefs, lagoons, and deeper coastal slopes. Large adults often settle near caves or heavy reef cover.
Length is about 150-270 cm and weight about 100-400 kg. A very thick body, huge mouth, and brown to gray mottling give adults a commanding presence.
It usually lives alone or loosely spaced near other reef fish, waiting close to cover. Within its range, a large adult is a dominant reef predator.
It is carnivorous, swallowing fish, crustaceans, and cephalopods. The broad mouth expands quickly, drawing prey in with a powerful suction strike.
Adults may gather at reef sites to spawn seasonally. Eggs and larvae drift in the sea, while juveniles use shallower reef habitat.
Its status is listed as Vulnerable. Slow-growing, large reef fishes are sensitive to heavy harvest, so protecting mature adults is especially important.
