Giant or Queensland grouper

Giant or Queensland grouper or groper  (Epinephelus lanceolatus) feeds on spiny lobsters, fish, including small sharks and batoids, and juvenile sea turtles and crustaceans.The Grouper has a large mouth and a rounded tail. The young have irregular black and yellow markings. Adults are green-grey to grey-brown with mottled markings. There are small black spots on the fins. The Queensland Grouper grows to about 3m and 600kg. The largest Queensland specimen on record weighed 288kg. It is one of the largest bony fishes living on coral reefs.It has a curious nature and will often approach a diver at close range.The male Queensland Grouper reaches sexual maturity when it is at least 129cm long.It is often found in shallow waters but has been caught at depths of up to 100m. It is found in caves, on coral reefs and around wrecks. Both young and adults can be found in estuaries.The Grouper is the largest of all coral reef dwelling bony fishes in the world.In Australia it is recorded from the southern coast of Western Australia, around the tropical north and south to the southern coast of New South Wales.