Appearance and lifestyle:
Yellowbelly rockod (Epinephelus marginatus) are brown fish that have a yellow belly with greenish and white blotches on their body and dorsal fins. They have a large mouth and pale edges on their fins. They are Slow-growing fish that can grow up to 1.2m long, weigh up to 35kg and live up to 24 years. Females change their sex at between the ages of 15-17 and they spawn during spring and summer. Adults are solitary and territorial.
Habitat:
They like rocky reefs down to 200m deep, large adults have been spotted in the deep canyons off Sodwana Bay where coelacanths were found. Each fish has one cave that it considers "home" with a number of other caves it uses as temporary resting spots.
Diet:
Feeds on small fish and bottom dwelling invertebrates.
Threats:
Some of the threats they face are pollution, overfishing, climate change. SASSI status: Orange (think twice)