Spotted Drum Juvenile Identification

Video Transcript

"The marine organism we're going to identify now is the spotted drum juvenile. One of the most elegant fish on the reef is the juvenile spotted drum. This tiny fish, only about three-quarters to one and a half inches long, gets its elegant look from its black and white colors, and its long flowing dorsal and tail fins. The spotted drum juvenile is best distinguished from a similar species, the jack knife fish juvenile, by the black spot on its nose, instead of a black vertical dash that is found on the jack knife fish juvenile. The spotted drum juvenile will most often be found under a coral edge during daytime. They generally maintain a regular residence, at least until they mature. So if you find one on a snorkel or a dive, chances are you will be able to find it under the same ledge when you return to that site a few days, or even weeks later. They swim in a steady circuitous pattern under their ledge, with those long dorsal and tail fins flowing behind them. Spotted drum juveniles are found in the spring and summer months. They can be found with some regularity throughout tropical waters of the U.S., Bahamas, and Caribbean, and usually in depths of fifteen to one hundred feet, although most that I have seen have been above fifty feet. This means both scuba divers and snorkelers will have a chance to view these elegant fish. If you spot one, move slowly and you should be able to approach them closely. Spotted drum juveniles are nocturnal feeders. They feed primarily on plankton and other small animals. During the night they will leave their protective daytime hide out to swim over the reef to feed. That's the spotted drum juvenile."