Potato Grouper

Photo: Barna Takats · CC BY-NC

Large potato groupers up to 2 metres long patrol the base of the pinnacle, using structural overhangs as ambush points and occasionally approaching divers with the bold curiosity typical of well-protected reefs. These apex predators help regulate reef fish populations and their presence signals a healthy, unfished ecosystem. Their spotted, potato-skin patterned flanks make them unmistakable even at distance.