The Lutjanidae or snappers are a family of
perciform fishes, mainly marine but with some members living in
estuaries, and entering fresh water to feed. Some are important food fish. One of the best known is the
Red Snapper.
Snappers are found in the tropical and subtropical regions of all the oceans. They can grow to about a metre in length. Most feed on
crustaceans or other fish, though a few are plankton-feeders. They can be kept in
aquaria, but mostly grow too fast to be popular aquarium fish.
They live at depths of up to 450m.
About 100
species of snapper are currently recognised, divided into about
16
genera. A very large number of fish
species have "snapper" in their common name; most but not all of these are members of the family Lutjanidae. Almost all the 60 or so species in the genus
Lutjanus have common names including the word "snapper".