Stats

Lifespan

15-30 yrs

Size

Large

Diet

Carnivore

Activity

Nocturnal

Social

School

Biome

Coral reef

Range

Western Pacific

Movement

Swimming

Breeding

Egg-laying

Defense

Speed

Status

Rare

About

The midnight snapper is a deep-bodied reef fish of the Indo-Pacific whose adults wear a near-black body with pale scale margins, giving them a finely speckled look. Juveniles look completely different — bright white with bold black blotches — and undergo one of the most dramatic colour shifts of any snapper as they mature.

Life cycle

1. 1.
   hatchling fry

   A tiny fry hatches with a yolk sac and begins free-swimming once the sac is absorbed.
2. 2.
   juvenile

   A juvenile takes on adult body shape and feeds on small prey, often in nursery waters.
3. 3.
   adult

   Fully grown at adult size and coloration.

Learn more

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Taxonomy

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Actinopterygii

Order

Acanthuriformes

Family

Lutjanidae

Genus

Macolor

Species

Macolor macularis