The highly complex coral formations of the Flower Garden Banks provide habitat for large grouper species, including this 70-centimeter (2.3-foot) black grouper, Mycteroperca bonaci, commonly seen at West Flower Garden Bank. A large school of jacks can also be seen in the background, which typically move between banks along the continental shelf margin in the Gulf of Mexico. Image courtesy of the Voss Lab at Florida Atlantic University, Harbor Branch.
Black Grouper
Image courtesy of the Voss Lab at Florida Atlantic University, Harbor Branch. Download larger version (jpg, 9.1 MB).

The highly complex coral formations of the Flower Garden Banks provide habitat for large grouper species, including this 70-centimeter (2.3-foot) black grouper, Mycteroperca bonaci, commonly seen at West Flower Garden Bank. A large school of jacks can also be seen in the background, which typically move between banks along the continental shelf margin in the Gulf of Mexico.

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