In some cases, you can spot them as far north as Massachusetts, but they typically prefer warmer water.ĭepending on the country you’re in, you may hear people calling the northern red snapper other names such as “Pargo” and “Mero.” Food & DietĪlthough northern red snappers live in reef-like areas, they obtain most of their food from the ocean floor.
Northern red snappers live primarily in the southeastern Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean Sea. Where Does the Northern Red Snapper Live? For this reason, you’ll rarely see a large snapper sharing the shallow habitat of a young snapper. They prefer deeper waters where artificial reefs are, such as shipwrecks and oil platforms.Īlthough northern red snappers are social fish, they don’t get along well with different sized fish within their species. Over one-year-old snapper: These adult fish move to high-relief zones where they remain for the rest of their lives. One-year-old snapper: They move on to intermediate-relief habitats, which are larger, more mature variations of low-relief habitats. Examples of low-relief habitats include seagrass, coral, oyster beds, and sponges. Young but not recently hatched snapper: These fish move to what biologists call low-relief habitats. Recently hatched snapper: They live in shallow, open waters where there’s fine sediment. The following four-step process allows snappers to feast on the appropriate type of food for their size: The schooling patterns of the northern red snapper matter in regard to its habitat because it changes its schooling location according to its age. However, these snappers prefer to school with fish of the same size, so it isn’t likely that you’ll see a young northern red snapper schooling with a full-size snapper. Therefore, you can often spot them in large schools. Northern red snappers are a social species. They also congregate around ridges and ledges. However, they sometimes wander down as deep as 300 feet.Īs bottom-dwelling fish, they love rocky environments and places where they can hide, such as artificial reefs and shipwrecks. Northern red snappers thrive in water ranging from 30 to 200 feet. However, by five years old, all snappers are adults, and they can live over fifty years. The age at which the juvenile snapper transitions into adulthood varies. At that point, they’re around 60 millimeters long and living in more complex coastal habitats. As summer changes to autumn, the young snappers become coastal juveniles. They remain in this larva phase for four weeks, growing from two to twelve millimeters.Īfter a month, northern red snappers pass into the juvenile settlement phase, where they remain in shallow waters.
The eggs float on the water’s surface, and within three days, baby snappers hatch into larvae. They prefer to spawn where there’s a lot of activity in the water, such as in estuaries and harbors. Larger and older northern red snappers release more eggs than younger adults. They spawn multiple times during the year, from May to October, releasing eggs and sperm into the water column. Northern red snappers reach sexual maturity between two to five years of age. Young snappers often have a dark circle on their sides, but this goes away as the snapper gets older. Their deepest red color occurs on their backs. Up close, one can see that they have flecks of white mixed in with the red, along with a usually whiter underside, which gives them an almost pink-like hue. Northern red snappers look red from afar. However, most adult red snappers weigh half this amount. Their weight corresponds with their length, and the largest known northern red snapper clocked in at 50 pounds, 4 ounces. The typical northern red snapper grows up to two feet long, although they can grow as much as 39 inches. It has a sharp dorsal fin and average size scales.Ī northern red snapper’s teeth are narrow and pointy, although it doesn’t have distinct canine teeth in its upper jaw like certain other snapper species. Fun Facts About the Northern Red SnapperĪs a member of the snapper family, the northern red snapper has a sloped face and tail.What Does the Northern Red Snapper Eat?.Where Does the Northern Red Snapper Live?.
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