Fun Eastern Blue Groper Facts For Kids

The eastern blue groper (Achoerodus viridis) is a marine fish endemic to Australia's waters. They are hermaphrodites in nature. This means that they undergo a change of sex during their life. Their life cycle can be divided into three distinct phases. The change of sex takes place after the first phase of their life. Over the life cycle of an eastern blue groper, the fish changes its sex from female to male. As a juvenile, this fish is brown or green. As they mature, their body color changes. This color varies according to the sex of the mature fish. Since the adult males have a bright blue or greenish-blue color on their bodies, this fish gets the name of a blue groper. Their large body size categorizes them under the name groper. If you want to know and read more about this fish, keep on reading!

Read on to know more about the eastern blue groper, and if you like this article, check out these fact files on the flounder and red grouper.

What type of animal is an eastern blue groper?

The eastern blue groper (Achoerodus viridis) is a type of fish.

What class of animal does an eastern blue groper belong to?

The eastern blue groper (Achoerodus viridis) belongs to the class Actinopterygii like the yellowfish tuna and the coho salmon.

How many eastern blue gropers are there in the world?

At present, the total number of fish remains unknown for the species of the eastern blue groper (Achoerodus viridis). The eastern blue groper, as a species, is vulnerable to fishing or spear-fishing in particular. A large number of these fish fall prey to commercial fishing. As a result, their population has taken a hit over the years. The International Union for Conservation of Natures (IUCN) Red List observes a limited number of eastern blue groper fish in the world.

Where does an eastern blue groper live?

The eastern blue groper is endemic to Australia. This means that their geographic range is limited to Australia only. The eastern blue groper range includes southern Queensland. This eastern blue groper distribution has a range that not includes Mooloolaba in southern Queensland but also extends till Wilson's Promontory in Victoria, Australia. Bass Strait's eastern end and New South Wales also come under the geographic range of this fish.

What is an eastern blue groper's habitat?

This fish has a range that includes marine habitats. They can be found in the coastal waters and eastern shorelines of Australia. This fish prefers rocky areas underwater. The larvae of this fish can be found on seagrass beds. This fish can go as deep as 131 ft. (39.9 m) below sea level.

Who does an eastern blue groper live with?

The eastern blue groper can be seen living in groups. These groups are termed 'harems.' A harem generally comprises a single male individual, a few female fish, and many juveniles.

How long does an eastern blue groper live?

This fish can have a maximum lifespan of 35 years which is much longer than the honey gourami.

How do they reproduce?

An eastern blue groper's life has multiple phases. As juveniles, they are all females. As these juveniles gradually mature, they begin to change sex. At this point, the grown juveniles can be either male or female. After they completely change sex and become sexually mature, the two sexes are distinguished. Adult males and females have different body hues. The adult female is reddish-brown, while the adult male of this species is blue. Not much is known about their breeding rituals. Females give birth to younger ones after mating.

What is their conservation status?

The International Union for Conservation of Natures (IUCN) Red List has marked this fish as a Near Threatened species. This is because of their low population. Their population faces a threat from being used as a biological resource.

What does eastern blue groper look like?

The eastern blue groper has heavy scales covering the surface of its body. Their bodies are large and stocky, while the tails are square. The faces are marked with fleshy and thick lips. This fish has peg-like teeth in its mouth.

How cute are they?

Eastern blue gropers are not cute to look at. On the contrary, it can be said that they have an appearance that is unpleasant to the viewer's sight.

How do they communicate?

Not much is known about the ways in which an eastern blue groper communicates. Since it belongs to the family Labridae, a cue about their possible communication can be taken from others belonging to this family. Fishes of the Labridae family use their sight, sense of touch, and chemical signals to communicate and perceive their surroundings.

How big is an eastern blue groper?

The females and males of this species vary in length. The female is shorter in length than the male. The former can grow up to 27.5 in (70 cm), while the maximum length for the latter is 39.4 in (100 cm). Hence, it can be said that this species has a remarkable body length compared to most other fish. They are twice or thrice the length of a wild goldfish and almost seven to eight times bigger than mudfish.

How fast can an eastern blue groper swim?

The speed at which an eastern blue groper swims is unknown.

How much does an eastern blue groper weigh?

The average weight of this species is 55.1 lb (25 kg).

What are the male and female names of the species?

This species has no separate name for the two sexes. They are known as female eastern blue gropers and male eastern blue gropers.

What would you call a baby eastern blue groper?

A baby eastern blue groper is called a fry.

What do they eat?

The eastern blue groper diet consists of invertebrates and small crustaceans like mollusks, sea urchins, crabs, shrimps, cunjevoi, and more. Apart from small crustaceans, they also feed on mussels.

Are they aggressive?

No, eastern blue gropers are not aggressive.

Would they make a good pet?

This species can make good pets as they pose no danger to humans. However, they are marine fishes, so their maintenance can be complex. Additionally, they are big in length, making it tough to keep them in regular fish tanks.

Did you know...

The blue groper is not a true groper. On the contrary, it is classified as a wrasse.

Naming the eastern blue groper

The eastern blue groper is named so because of its location and body color. This fish is endemic to eastern Australia. Additionally, the adult males have a blue-colored body. They are also called eastern blue wrasse.

What does the eastern blue groper represent?

The eastern blue groper represents the state of New South Wales. This groper has been a significant emblem of New South Wales since the year 1998. The blue groper was made a fish emblem for the state of New South Wales. Being a friendly fish that often follows divers helped it catch attention and become the fish emblem.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other fish from our brown trout facts and pumpkinseed sunfish facts pages.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable fishing coloring pages.

Second image by Sylke Rohrlach.