I’m Sam and I’m in search of a giant fish
that’s as tall as a Christmas tree
and weighs more than a large vending machine.
It has a broad head, small eyes
and an enormous mouth that it uses like a vacuum
to suck in its prey in one big gulp.
Now that’s a fish I’ve got to see.
Let’s dive in and learn all about the goliath grouper!
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(upbeat music)
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SAM: The ocean thrives on the diversity of its species.
Sometimes those at the top of the food chain
get a bad rap.
Today, I’m in the beautiful coastal waters
the Florida Keys at Elbow Reef,
looking for a giant-sized predator–
the Atlantic Goliath Grouper.
This goliath plays a very important role keeping its
marine habitat healthy.
But its population is declining.
We are going on a dive with Laura “Jay” Grove–
a research fishery biologist–
and John Katchenago, who helps ensure the safety
for divers here in the Florida Keys.
Fingers crossed we find one!
Let’s go!
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This amazing coral reef
is filled with all kinds of wildlife.
Like this cute little green sea turtle
munching on sea grass.
Unlike land turtles,
sea turtles have flippers instead of feet.
And these paddle-like flippers
make them super-speedy swimmers!
Sea turtles travel long distances and dive deep
in the ocean to eat,
but need to surface to breathe.
Juveniles hide in the vegetation
from ambush predators like sharks, grouper,
and barracuda that are always
on the lookout for food.
Here comes one now.
A huge silver colored barracuda
with razor-sharp teeth.
This torpedo-shaped fish can grow as large
as six feet long and weigh up to 103 pounds.
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Barracudas live near coral reefs and shallow waters,
hoping to surprise their prey with a sneak attack,
a tactic used by the goliath grouper, too.
The grouper should be pretty easy to spot,
but we haven’t seen one yet.
We’ve searched the more shallow, artificial
and natural reefs, which are their favorite hiding places,
but no luck!
We’re going on another dive later today,
so maybe we’ll find one then.
Let’s head up to talk with Jay and John
about the other species we saw.
So what were some of the creatures
that we saw down there, Jay?
We saw tons of creatures on this dive.
There were a lot of different things going on down there,
and I think one of the things that the coolest is,
is that you don’t have to be a fish expert
to understand what a fish does down there
or what kind of style it has.
So you saw the barracuda, right?
-Yes. -The huge one.
both: Huge barracuda.
JAY: We saw parrotfish. SAM: Tons of parrotfish.
JAY: All different colors, shapes, sizes.
We saw some terminal phase parrotfish,
so parrotfish are pretty unique.
They change colors throughout their life.
They have different phases, so even though
there are tons of different colors down there,
we primarily saw about three species.
That’s super neat.
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SAM: It’s time to head back to the dock to get ready
for my second dive.
But I still have lots of questions!
I didn’t get to talk to you about the goliath grouper.
Yes, the goliath grouper,
the biggest grouper in the Atlantic.
It’s awesome. Unfortunately,
we didn’t get to see one, though.
So what do groupers look like? Goliath groupers.
JAY: Groupers are kind of a funny looking fish.
They are– you don’t see their scales
like you see in some other fish.
They look smooth to the touch.
they have very soft, rounded fins,
and are known for having a grumpy,
frowny face with just big lips and a big mouth.
SAM: And the eyes are kinda small, right?
JAY: The eyes are really small.
How big do goliath groupers get?
Goliath groupers are awesome. They get huge.
JAY: They get over eight feet about over 800 pounds.
I’ve heard people say 1,000 pounds.
SAM: Wow. JAY: They’re a gigantic fish.
Where do they typically like to hang out?
Goliath grouper hang out in a bunch of different areas.
You can find the adults on natural reefs,
so on the coral reef habitat.
In some areas they’re found on larger artificial reefs,
And the juveniles are found in the mangroves.
A lot of species have that life strategy where they have
their young in an area that’s not on the coral reefs
with all the larger predators.
In the mangroves, they’re able to hide behind
the roots so that they don’t have to escape predation
as easily, and then when they get larger
and there’s not enough food for them anymore,
then they make their way back out into the reef
where there’s more opportunity.
SAM: Adult goliath grouper feed on crustaceans
like lobsters, shrimp, crabs, fish,
and even young sea turtles.
They’re considered to be an ambush predator,
which means that they’re–
the body type has a little bit
of cryptic coloration and they’ll shut their mouth
and essentially create this negative pressure and this
ability that when they open up their mouth,
the water comes shooting in and they ambush that prey.
And that prey, before they know anything happens
they’re already in the goliath grouper’s stomach.
SAM: Aww.
-It is kinda sad. -That is sad.
-But they’re very successful. -Yeah.
SAM: hopefully we’ll be successful in finding
the goliath grouper in this next dive.
Here we go!
It’s so beautiful down here!
These coral formations are so vibrant.
I know they look like plants, but they are actually animals!
Swimming around the reef are stingrays,
schools of fish, parrotfish, and barracuda.
It’s a beautiful sight.
We’re looking in the crevices and ledges of the reef
and in the vegetation for the goliath grouper.
But still no sign.
We may not have found the grouper,
but that’s why I love scuba diving.
You never know what you’re going to find!
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The goliath grouper is an impressive fish.
It’s considered an umbrella species because its survival
ensures the survival of other species
that share its habitat.
Today was a lot of fun!
We saw a lot of amazing creatures,
like a the green sea turtle,
parrotfish who change colors throughout their life,
and barracudas.
Barracudas and goliath grouper are ambush predators
that surprise their prey and swallow them whole.
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Goliath grouper’s pretty awesome!
Let’s protect these critically endangered species
for the greater good of all species
by not overfishing or destroying their habitat.
Thanks for joining me on this adventure.
See you next time What Sam Sees.
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