Snapper

Snappers are a family of perciform fish, Lutjanidae, mainly marine, but with some members inhabiting estuaries, feeding in fresh water. Some are important food fish. One of the best known is the red snapper. Snappers inhabit tropical and subtropical regions of all oceans. They can grow to about 1 m in length. Most are active carnivores, feeding on crustaceans or other fish, though a few are plankton-feeders. They can be kept in aquaria, but mostly grow too fast to be popular aquarium fish. Most species live at depths reaching 100 m near coral reefs, but some species are found up to 500 m deep. As other fish, snappers harbour parasites. A detailed study conducted in New Caledonia has shown that coral reef-associated snappers harbour about 9 species of parasites per fish species.