Nassau grouper
Epinephelus striatus
- Scientific name
- Epinephelus striatus
- Group
- Reef fish
- Rarity
- Epic
- Where to see it
- Caribbean & Tropical Atlantic
- Conservation status (IUCN)
- Critically endangered
Did you know?
The Nassau grouper gathers by the thousands for brief annual spawning events at just a handful of predictable sites, which has made it extremely easy to overfish. Its populations have dropped by more than 80% in just a few decades.
What defines this group — Reef fish
The bony fish that live against coral and rock: the living backdrop of almost every dive.
- A bony skeleton, scales, and a rigid gill cover closing over the gills.
- A swim bladder acts as a float: they hold their depth without swimming.
- Many change colour, pattern — sometimes even sex — over the course of their life.
Other species in this group
- Ocellaris clownfish
- Blue tang
- Red lionfish
- Spot-fin porcupinefish
- Mediterranean moray
- Clark's anemonefish