Dog Snapper

Dog Snapper with a Cleaning Goby

The Dog Snapper has a gray to silvery-white body with reddish or copper tones and canine-like teeth that resemble a dog's fangs. A faint pale patch appears beneath the eye, and there may be blue lines or spots on the cheek just below the eye. The fins are dusky, with the anal, dorsal, and caudal fins showing a reddish margin.

This Snapper is cautious and is mostly found alone in shallow water and on the reef. It is an opportunistic predator that hunts mainly at night, feeding on small fish and bottom-dwelling animals like crabs, shrimps, gastropods, and cephalopods. Its prominent canine-like teeth are used to grasp and crush smaller bony creatures. Spawning takes place offshore in large aggregations. The Dog Snapper is a valuable food source and is vulnerable to overfishing.