The Goliath Grouper (previously known as a Jew fish until 2001), is the largest of the groupers in the Atlantic Ocean. On the western side of the Atlantic, they can be found from the Florida Keys all the way down to the coast of Brazil. On the eastern side of the Atlantic, they can be found from the Congo to Senegal.
One of the coolest, most well-known facts about the Goliath Grouper, is their enormous size! These gentle giants can reach lengths over 8 ft and over 800 lbs.! That’s huge!
They spend the majority of their lives in coral reefs and in the mangroves, but have been known to survive in brackish waters, a rare place to call home for any grouper.
Even though they have sharp teeth, they actually feed by opening their wide jaws and creating a vortex with their gills. This acts like a vacuum and sucks in anything or anyone in its path. Goliath groupers have even been known to feed on sharks!