What Eats The Red Snapper as Their Natural Predators?

You might be wondering what eats the red snapper as they are one of the top predators in their natural habitat which located at Mexico gulf. You should know that the red snapper is considered as one of the best food that people can get from Mexico gulf. This is why; this fish is often served in various restaurants as delicacy. Furthermore there are various dishes that can be created using this food fish. Thus many people actually like to consume this food fish as it is not only delicious but also gives people various benefits to their health.

What Eats The Red Snapper in The Natural Habitat?

This fish is living in habitat deep inside the ocean near the bottom area. That is why; they usually able to be found in area at 9 meters until at 60 meters deep inside the ocean. However, they may also live in area even deeper as they can be found at 100 meters deep inside the ocean. For their home, they will choose to hide inside holes at the bottom of the ocean, ledge, and ridge. They will also hide on shipwreck as well as oil rig that people plant on offshore location. But then again, the red snapper will move their habitat as they growing older. Especially since this fish will need bigger coverage as well as different type of food to eat as they growing older.

Then what eats the red snapper when they are still in the form of eggs. Actually there are various egg predators that reside deep inside the ocean. That is why; they need to do something to avoid these egg predators to feed on their eggs. Thus they decide to release the eggs using method that is called as broadcast spawning. In this method, there are multiple males as well as females red snapper, which release their sperm as well as eggs in the same time. The releases are targeted in water column which located high above from sea floor. Thus the eggs will not be eaten by the egg predators that reside deep inside the ocean. Instead the eggs that already fertilized will then float with the current which will take them away to the surface of the ocean. As you can see even when they are still in the form of eggs the red snapper is already targeted by predators. Thus even though they are one of the top predators, then this does not mean that there is no other that eat this fish.

Then those eggs which float around the surface of the ocean will hatch after a day being release to the surface. Then they after the eggs are hatching, the red snapper will live in habitat at benthic which is more open before they will move to the lower reef habitat that is also used by the oyster bed. Once the red snapper grows into a year in age, it will then move around intermediate habitat type which located in the reef area.

Then what eats the red snapper when they move in this new habitat? Actually as a year red snapper is still small in size, and then there are larger predators that will eat them. But if they survive those predators, then they will grow bigger than those predators. Then they will also move again into higher reef region as that area has more space for the fish. Actually the red snapper is considered as one of the top predators thus there are not many other predators that can eat them. Especially since they move from the bottom to the higher area once they get bigger. Thus they will have more protection from the predators by staying in the area where they are the biggest among other fishes.

But the movement is different when the red snapper live in oil platform area. In this area, the smallest size red snapper will live in the uppermost area where the water column is. Then after they grow bigger, they will move down into deeper part of the platform. But that does not mean, they will allow any of the small size fish to go down into this area. Once, they grow even bigger and become the largest, and then they will move on to the open area around the reef as other red snapper.

Then what eats the red snapper when they already bigger? Actually it is a little bit difficult to even try and eat the red snapper especially since they move in school as they are gregarious type of fish. The school itself will be created with several other red snapper that have the similar sizing to one another. Then the school will swim together around their habitat in search for food. This is why; it is quite hard to eat the red snapper and it is also why; they can become the top predators in this area.

But even though they are the top predators in this area, that does not mean there is nothing that can eat them. In fact the largest red snapper is often being the target for food by large size fish such as sharks, or barracuda which will eat red snapper that has smaller size than them. But the smaller red snapper will be eaten by predator fish that has bigger size than them. The larvae as well as juveniles are also becoming target by predator that has medium size.

But aside from natural predators in their habitat, but actually red snapper is also caught by human. Since their meat is very delicious, this fish is also known as popular food fish. That is why there is specific industry that catches red snapper for commercial usage. And every year there are 8 millions in pound on this red snapper that is caught from the American ocean. That is why; when you ask what eats the red snapper, and then one of the answer is human. Especially since this fish is known as delicious food fish that often served in various seafood restaurants especially for entrée food.