Black and white snapper

This snapper changes its look completely as it grows up. As a young fish it wears stripes, but as an adult it turns all black. It often swims with a lookalike relative, another snapper that looks much the same.

Also known as: black snapper, black and white seaperch, black and white snapper, black-and-white snapper, snapper, black-and-white snapper, black & white snapper, black and white seaperch, black snapper, black and white snapper, black and white seaperch

This species can be confused with other dark snappers on the reef. Look at the fins for the clear giveaway: the rear tips of both the dorsal fin and the anal fin come to a sharp point. Many similar-looking snappers have rounded fin tips instead.

This snapper has a fairly deep body and a rounded head profile. Its eyes and fins are black. Body colour ranges from light grey to black, depending on age. Juveniles are striped, but as they grow up the stripes fade and the whole body turns black.

Black and white snapper live across the tropical Indo-Pacific. You find them on steep outer walls of lagoons and channels, and on seaward reef slopes, at depths from about 2 to 90 metres.

Young fish tend to live alone, but adults gather in large schools along steep reef walls. It hunts fish and crustaceans, and comes together in groups to spawn.

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  African forktail snapper

  Apsilus fuscus

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  Blacktail snapper

  Lutjanus fulvus

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  Common bluestripe snapper

  Lutjanus kasmira

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  Dory snapper

  Lutjanus fulviflamma

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  Gray Snapper

  Lutjanus griseus

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  Humpback Red Snapper

  Lutjanus gibbus