Groupers are fish of varying sizes distinguished by their large bulging round eyes and accordion-like mouth which expands into a large cavity when eating their prey. Groupers “inhale” their prey along with the water surrounding the prey. Groupers vary from a foot long to more than six feet long.
Groupers like to hide by remaining motionless in caves, crevices, shipwrecks or by blending in with the colors and patterns of the coral reef. Many groupers can change their coloration to blend in with the surroundings.
The grouper in this photograph is sometimes referred to as a potato cod or goliath grouper. This picture was taken on the wreck of H.M.S. Thistlegorm which lays in over one hundred feet of water at Sha’ab Ali Reef at the entrance to the Gulf of Suez. The Thistlegorm was a British 415- foot, 5,000 -ton armed merchant ship supply ship sunk by German planes in the early morning hours of October 6, 1941, while laying at anchor.
Sunken ships make great artificial reefs for the undersea inhabitants. There are countless places for every size creature to find safety. The Thistlegorm lies amidst often-times strong currents which attract all kinds of fish as currents carry food such as plankton and other tiny creatures which sustain the underwater food chain.
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