The Red Grouper (Epinephelus morio) looks like any other large Serranidae, including its large mouth. But now scientists have found that the deepwater atlantic species uses its lurching jaws for more than just eating–it uses them to build. Dubed the ‘Frank Lloyd Wright of the Sea Floor’, the Red Grouper excavates and builds complex structures, [...]
The Red Grouper (Epinephelus morio) looks like any other large Serranidae, including its large mouth. But now scientists have found that the deepwater atlantic species uses its lurching jaws for more than just eating–it uses them to build. Dubed the ‘Frank Lloyd Wright of the Sea Floor’, the Red Grouper excavates and builds complex structures, exposing rock for new corals to settle on, and creating caves and hiding places for other animals such as the Spiny Lobster.
The species is extremely sedentary, rarely leaving its architectual construction and now it’s understood why. Researchers found the holes and caves created by the Red Grouper attract mates, as well as cleaner fish, invertebrates and even prey.
Via Science Daily:
‘As juveniles, red grouper excavate the limestone bottom of Florida Bay and elsewhere, exposing “solution holes” formed thousands of years ago when sea level was lower and freshwater dissolved holes in the rock surface. When sea level rose to its present state, the solution holes filled with sediment. By removing the sediment from them, the fish restructure the flat bottom into a three- dimensional matrix, which is enhanced by the settlement and growth of corals and sponges. Spiny lobsters are among the many species that occupy those excavations, especially during the day when seeking refuge from roving predators.’
photo cc [tiswango]
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