Many species of groupers are found in the ocean; some are tiny, so they pose no threat to humans, and some are large ones, like the goliath grouper, which is huge. Don’t worry, though, because regardless of the size, it is not a dangerous fish for humans, so groupers are not a dangerous fish to humans.
Groupers are very gentle fish if humans mind their own business. If you want to learn more about the relationship between huge groupers and humans, then keep reading this article.
About Goliath Grouper
When one thinks of a large enough grouper that can hurt humans, the goliath grouper is the one that comes to mind. Even experienced divers may get intimidated by the huge size of this fish, so here is all you need to know about the fish.
Goliath groupers are naturally found in two places, the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean, and they are considered to be in danger of overfishing. These huge fish can grow up to eight feet long and weigh anywhere from 400 pounds to 800 pounds. The largest caught grouper was 680 pounds, but much larger species are found in the wild.
These fish usually swim around coral reefs and other rocky and shallow parts. They get this big part because of the extremely long lifespan of around 100 years, but the longest living fish was 37 years old. Although the growth of the fish slows, they don’t really ever stop growing. Due to their size, they can actually eat small sharks and have been living in the ocean for a very long time, so they know how to defend themselves.
Are Goliath Grouper Aggressive?
The answer to that question is no. Scuba divers are not really scared of these fish because they mind their own business and do not attack humans unnecessarily. However, this fish is large enough to swallow a human if it wanted to, so it is best to avoid their territories.
The Atlantic goliath is considered to be the more aggressive of the two species found in the wild. Some goliaths are more aggressive than others, but they will only attack if they think of you as a threat. There is a story reported by the New York Times, where in the 1950s, two children jumped off a bridge into the water, and only one returned because a goliath apparently ate the other kid. There are some other such stories of Goliath where it attacked and chased divers, but the fish is also known as “gentle giants” because they do not attack humans.
Goliath groupers don’t have consciousness like humans do, so if the need arises, they can definitely attack humans, and it will not end well considering how large these fish are. It is best to stay away from this fish if you do encounter it.
Does Goliath’s Bite Hurt?
Well, if this fish does attack you, it will hurt because the fish has sharp teeth all over its throat because it is a carnivore and hunts for live food. The fish is known for eating crustaceans by allowing them to come close to them before the fish swallows the prey whole. If it does attack you, there is a chance you will not survive, and it will hurt because even an ant bite can hurt.
Do goliath groupers attack humans?
Goliath groupers are large fish that can grow up to 8 feet (2.5 meters) in length and weigh several hundred pounds. While it is rare for them to attack humans, they are known to do so when they are near humans during spawning season and if the person is unaware of their presence.
Goliath groupers are not a danger to humans, but they can attack humans if they feel like it and if they are hungry. It will attack you if you are within their territory and seem like a threat to the fish. However, it is not violent like most sharks and other carnivorous creatures.
Can a grouper fish swallow a person?
Grouper are rarely known to swallow humans, and even then, it’s unclear whether the fish actually do so intentionally. Groupers are also not known to swallow other groupers whole—even if they did, it would likely just be because there was nothing else around then.
Groupers have no special adaptations that allow them to eat larger prey than their heads in one bite. This means that the only way for a grouper to eat something larger than its head would be if another fish or animal did all the work by pushing it into its mouth. But even then, we don’t know whether this animal could actually swallow an object as big as an adult human body part without having some kind of difficulty while doing so—and most likely, they would end up choking on it anyway.
Do sharks attack groupers?
Actually, some sharks hunt groupers and use the same techniques to hunt seals. Sharks are opportunistic predators, meaning they will eat anything that fits into their mouths.
Since goliath groupers are known for eating smaller sharks and other dangerous fish, larger sharks are also known for eating goliath groupers. This is how this food chain works; the grouper population is maintained due to its predators in the ocean, like big white sharks, moray eels, and other large groupers.
Conclusion
Now you know that groupers are generally not dangerous to fish, except for the goliath grouper, which can be dangerous to humans only if they are hungry or if you seem like a threat. The Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean grouper is much more aggressive than the Pacific Ocean grouper due to their environments.
Hopefully, this article did not scare you into never entering the ocean again but just warned you what to expect. If you are careful, these fish are very peaceful towards humans and will cause no harm!
