Black grouper

Photo: pufferfish · CC BY-NC

Black grouper are large, solitary ambush predators of the Caribbean reef that reach over 100 centimetres at Conception Island due to the absence of fishing. They are protogynous hermaphrodites — all individuals begin life as females and the largest, oldest animals transition to males. Their role as apex reef predators is essential: they regulate damselfish populations that would otherwise overgrow and degrade coral surfaces.