Grouper

Groupers are a diverse group of marine ray-finned fish in the family Epinephelidae, within the order Perciformes, historically classified as a subfamily of the seabasses before being recognized as their own family. The name applies chiefly to species in the genera Epinephelus and Mycteroperca, along with other genera such as Plectropomus, known as coral groupers. Stout-bodied with large mouths, groupers are poor long-distance swimmers that swallow prey whole rather than biting pieces from it, using powerful pharyngeal crushing plates since their jaw teeth are minimal; their diet includes fish, octopuses and crustaceans. Some species reach great size, including the Atlantic goliath grouper at up to 399 kilograms and 2.43 meters, and regional names vary widely, from lapu-lapu in the Philippines to kerapu in Indonesia and Malaysia and hammour in the Persian Gulf.