Grouper is a type of ocean fish that lives in warm and temperate seas, mostly around rocky shores and coral reefs. All groupers have large mouths. They feed on fish and marine animals and swallow them whole. In color, groupers resemble the corals and algae among which they live. They can change their colors quickly. All groupers are born as females and later change into males. 
Some groupers, including the Nassau grouper and the black grouper, live along the southern Atlantic Coast of the United States. The red grouper lives along the Atlantic Coast from Massachusetts to Brazil. See also Goliath grouper.
Groupers are valued as food. However, the flesh of some large groupers is poisoned with a substance that may cause a serious illness called ciguatera.
