
The Red Hind (Epinephelus guttatus) is a species of grouper and a type of sea bass. As with all groupers it has a pretty stern look on its face at all times, and is not friendly with unwanted observers, usually disappearing under a rock before it can be closely approached. It has reddish brown spots over its tan to white body, and can grow to over two feet in length. Unfortunately, due to its delicious taste when cooked, individuals of this size are only rarely seen today. Most sightings these days are of individuals less that a foot in length.
Of interest is that as with other groupers and parrotfish, the Red Hind is a protogynous hermaphrodite, in that all individuals first mature as a female, and later turn into a male if they reach sufficient size or age. Also, at certain times of the year spawning aggregations take place, where fish from the surrounding area all travel to a certain spot to meet up and mate. There are reports from Puerto Rico of a tagged Red Hind travelling more than ten miles to attend one such get together. Its amazing the lengths we will go to to have a bit of fun.
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About Reef Creature Clothing
We specialise in not only coral reef inspired athleisure wear, but also beach & swim wear, and other printed products. All our colourful and vibrant designs are made using digitally enhanced prints of real underwater photographs taken in the Caribbean. We donate all of our profits after costs to The Coral Reef Research Hub, a small non-profit organisation that seeks to help fund research projects undertaken by early career coral reef scientists. The projects funded are those that aim to contribute information that will hopefully lead to legislative change, and thus help to protect coral reefs and their associated resources for generations to come!
We write these regular ‘creature features’ to help you learn more about the fascinating inhabitants of the coral reefs where our images came from. More will continue to be posted over the coming months so watch this space!