Australasian Snapper

A snappy Australasian snapper.

Australasian snappers are fish native to the ocean near Australia, China, Indonesia, Japan, Philippines, Taiwan and New Zealand.
‘Australasian snappers’ are also known as ‘silver seabreams’, ‘snappers’, ‘cocknies’, ‘pinkies’, ‘queens’, ‘schnappers’ and ‘ruggers’.
The scientific name of an Australasian snapper is Pagrus auratus, from the family Sparidae, the family of sea bream, and despite its common name, it is not technically a snapper.
Australasian snappers can be found in waters near the coast, around underwater rocky landscapes, among reefs, and in depths of up to 200 metres (656 feet).
The lifespan of Australasian snappers can reach from 40 to 54 years; and young females may develop into males by adulthoood, although this is not common in some areas.

Australasian snappers generally grow between 40 to 130 centimetres (16 to 51 inches) in length, and weigh between 10 to 20 kilograms (22 to 44 pounds).
Australasian snappers are among the most commonly eaten fish by humans in countries where they are found nearby, such as Australia.
The diet of Australasian snappers generally consists of crabs, shrimp, starfish, other fish, sea urchins and shellfish.
Australasian snappers can have scales ranging from red, pink, grey, silver or gold in colour, and mature adults develop an obvious hump on the top of their head.
Australasian snappers often cannot be legally caught for human consumption if they are less than 35 centimetres (14 inches) in length; and this is to prevent over-fishing so as not to damage the population of fish.

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