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snapper


snapper

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Red spot snapper (Lethrinus variegatus)—Douglas Faulkner

Any of about 250 species of valuable food fishes (family Lutjanidae), found throughout the tropics. These active schooling fishes have slender bodies, large mouths, sharp canine teeth, and blunt or forked tails. Many species grow to 2–3 ft (60–90 cm) long. Snappers eat crustaceans and other fishes. Some species, such as the Atlantic dog snapper, contain a toxin. The red snapper, a bright red fish, inhabits deep Atlantic waters. The emperor snapper is a red-and-white Indo-Pacific fish. The Atlantic yellowtail snapper has a broad yellow stripe from the nose to the wholly yellow tail.

This entry comes from Encyclopædia Britannica Concise.
For the full entry on snapper, visit Britannica.com.

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