SNOOKS
CENTROPOMIDAE
Common Snook
Centropomus undecimalis
    Ecological Descriptors
Habitat Size (cm) Diet Behaviour Sex 
Pel, Br, Man, S, M 50 (to 1.4m) Pisc, Cru I PAH
 
 
Description:
Body oblong, compressed, slender and upper
head profile slightly concave, with protuding lower jaw. Overall yellow-brown to greenish-brown above, silvery below. Dark lateral line with distinctive rise anteriorly. Fins dusky. Two dorsal fins. Females are generally larger than males of the same age.

Ecology
Adults inhabit coastal waters, mangroves and lagoons. Usually found at depths less than 20 m. Feed on fishes (Gobiidae, Gerreidae, Engraulidae) and crustaceans (shrimps and crabs).  Able to live in salt, brackish and freshwater (amphidromous).

Life Cycle:
It is a protandric hermaphrodite. The male:female sex ratio(s) for this species have been found to be ~2:1 at <550 mm, at 553 mm the ratio is ~1:1, and at 750 mm the ratio is ~1: 1.2. Males reach sexual maturity by the time they reach one year at 15 to 20cm, and female gonads mature directly from the mature male gonads shortly after spawning. Larvae grow as much as 1.0 mm per day and after reaching 2.4 mm, growth slows to approximately 0.15 mm per day. Maturation begins when juveniles reach approximately 30 cm. Sexual maturity occurs between the ages of 4 and 6 and can reach a maximum longevity of about 20 years.
Snook
Snook
(C) Dr P Ryan/ RyanPhotographic
Snook
(C) Ross Robertson
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