Leopard grouper facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Leopard grouper |
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| Conservation status | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Perciformes |
| Family: | Serranidae |
| Subfamily: | Epinephelinae |
| Genus: | Mycteroperca |
| Species: |
M. rosacea
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| Binomial name | |
| Mycteroperca rosacea (Streets, 1877)
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| Synonyms | |
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The leopard grouper (scientific name: Mycteroperca rosacea), also called the golden grouper, is a cool fish that lives in the ocean. It's a type of grouper, which belongs to a bigger family of fish called Serranidae. This family also includes sea basses. You can find leopard groupers in the eastern Pacific Ocean, especially around Mexico. Sometimes, these beautiful fish are even kept in aquariums!
Contents
What Does It Look Like?
The leopard grouper has a long, strong body that's a bit flat on the sides. Its body is deepest near its anal fin, which is a fin on its underside.
This fish has two main fins on its back: a dorsal fin with 11 stiff spines and 16 to 18 soft rays. It also has an anal fin with 3 spines and 10 to 11 soft rays. The fin at its tail, called the caudal fin, has a straight back edge.
Most leopard groupers are greenish to grayish-brown. They have small reddish-brown spots and also some pale, uneven spots and lines. Their fins usually have white edges.
But some leopard groupers are bright yellow or orange! This is called a xanthic color phase. These yellow fish sometimes have a few black spots too.
Leopard groupers can grow quite large. They can reach about 86 centimeters (about 34 inches) long. The heaviest one ever recorded weighed about 9.6 kilograms (about 21 pounds).
Where Do They Live?
Leopard groupers live in the eastern Pacific Ocean. They are only found in Mexico. You can find them from the southwestern part of the Baja California peninsula all the way south to Jalisco. This includes the Gulf of California and the Tres Marias Islands.
Life in the Ocean
Habitat and Diet
Leopard groupers like to live in rocky areas in shallow ocean waters. They can be found anywhere from 1 meter (about 3 feet) to 100 meters (about 328 feet) deep.
Adult leopard groupers mostly eat other fish. They love to hunt schools of fish like the Pacific flatiron herring and the Pacific anchoveta when these are available. If those aren't around, they will eat other types of schooling and non-schooling fish. They usually hunt for food around dawn and dusk, being most active about 20 minutes after sunset.
Younger leopard groupers are more active during the day. They eat a variety of fish and crustaceans that live on the ocean floor.
Reproduction and Life Cycle
Scientists believe that leopard groupers are protogynous hermaphrodites. This means they start their lives as females and can change into males later on.
They gather in groups to lay their eggs, a process called spawning. These spawning groups are seen from April to June. Leopard groupers can live for up to 17 years!
When they are very tiny babies, called larvae, they settle down among beds of a type of seaweed called Sargassum in rocky areas. The amount of Sargassum affects how many young groupers survive. For example, during El Niño, the ocean water gets warmer. This reduces the amount of Sargassum cover, which means fewer baby groupers survive and join the population. On the other hand, during La Niña, the water gets cooler. This helps more Sargassum grow, and more leopard groupers survive.
How Humans Use Them
Leopard groupers are considered a very tasty fish. They are an important fish for both large and small fishing groups in the northern Gulf of California. They are also a popular fish for people who enjoy game fishing (fishing for sport).
Unfortunately, some people fish illegally for leopard groupers. These poachers use spears and special breathing equipment to catch a lot of fish. People can also catch them by fishing from the shore early in the morning.
Related pages
- Cephalopholis leopardus, a species of marine ray-finned fish also known as the Leopard grouper
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