I work part-time as a tour guide at Underwater Adventures at the Mall of America. When I point out a grouper (pronounced grew'per) to our guests, the first comment I usually hear is," That's good eatin'!" I don't know-I've never had any grouper. The food chain goes around- we eat groupers, and they eat other fish. Groupers, it seems, are stealthy and aggressive eaters.
Groupers are members of the Serranidae (sea bass) family. They can be found in tropical and subtropical seas, in shallow waters and coral reefs. There are about 100 species of grouper. The smallest known grouper is the coney, about 9 inches long, and the largest one is called a Goliath grouper. In the past, these have been reported to measure 8 feet and weigh 1,000 pounds. A grouper that size has not been found for decades, but they can still get large. The black jewfish, or Warsaw grouper, will commonly grow to 6 feet (183 cm) and weigh 500 pounds. The spotted jewfish can get even bigger at a top weight of 600 pounds (270 kg) reach 13 feet. Groupers may start out as females and become males at 7 to 10 years old, or, they can start out as males and change sex. No one really knows why this is, but many fish (like parrotfish) switch sexes. If there are too many females, one may become a male, and vice-versa. Some groupers are schooling fish, some are not. Little is known about the actual mating behavior of the fish.
We eat red or black groupers, which can weigh 50 lbs (22.5kg). What do they eat? Well, they don't hunt. Instead, they wait quietly for dinner to come to them. Groupers are like chameleons-they can mimic patterns and colors they see in front of them to blend in with the surroundings. A black grouper can show black, white, gray, and even yellow on their skin. A red grouper can show white, red, black and brown. The photo (above) is one I took of one of our groupers. Notice the pattern across the top of the body. While I took this photo, the grouper changed from all white to this pattern. The camouflage helps the grouper in getting food. A smaller fish will swim by, totally unaware of the grouper. All the grouper has to do is sit still or wait quietly in the water, open its very large mouth, and suck in the water. The fish is caught in the vacuum created by the grouper, and it is swallowed whole. Groupers have teeth, but they are not used for chewing; just holding onto the fish. The digestive juices of the grouper will break down the fish once eaten.
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