Donkey Fish Facts - Photos - Earth's Endangered Creatures

Scientific Name:

Dermatolepis inermis

Other Names and/or Listed subspecies:

Dermatolepis zanclus, Epinephelus inermis, Serranus inermis, Marbled Grouper, Mutton Hamlet, Rockhind, Sickelfish Grouper

Group:

Fishes

Status/Date Listed as Endangered:

NT-IUCN: 2008

Area(s) Where Listed As Endangered:

Central and South America, North America (including United States), Oceanic

Creature Profile

The donkey fish is a species from the class Actinopterygii and family Ephiniphelidae. Its head is steep with a mouth that is heavily-lipped while its body is deep and flattened with large fins that are rounded. The front of both the anal and dorsal fin have projections called spines whereby the front of the dorsal fin has 11 spines and that of the anal fin has three. Its body is grayish-brown in color and has speckles of white and loosely arranged spots that are colored black and form rings. The donkey fish measures up to 35 inches in length and up to 25 lbs in weight. It is a secretive and solitary animal.

The donkey fish is a predator. Its main source of diet is fish, but it also feeds on small invertebrates like crustaceans. It prefers to live in coral reefs on deep ledges. It is also found in deep cracks within rocks and in caves. This species reproduces through copulation and spawning which is laying many eggs in water. This may occur up to two times each year and up to 7,000,000 eggs are laid each time. No data exists on the estimated number of eggs that mature after spawning. The eggs then hatch into larvae within the ocean. This species exhibits "protogynous hermaphroditism" which means an individual first matures as a female and then changes into a male. Juveniles are usually black in color with white spots scattered all over the body.

The donkey fish is referred to as a Western Atlantic species. It occurs in two distinct populations, one spanning from North Carolina to Venezuela and the other from North of Brazil to Rio de Janeiro which includes the island off the shores. The main challenge to this species is overfishing of both the juveniles and adults for use in commercial and recreational purposes. Conservation actions include a listing in the IUCN endangered species list as "near threatened" and occurrence of this species in some protected areas. Due to its secretive nature and difficulty in determining population a count, no data exists on estimated numbers globally. More research needs to be done to help conserve this species.

Wikipedia Article

This article is only an excerpt. If it appears incomplete or if you wish to see article references, visit the rest of its contents here.

Wikipedia Article
Copyright Notice: This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Marbled grouper".

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Donkey Fish Facts Last Updated:
April 1, 2017

To Cite This Page:
Mugo, C. R. 2025. "Earth's Endangered Creatures - Donkey Fish Facts" (Online). Accessed 8/8/2026 at https://earthsendangered.com/profile.asp?sp=10305&ID=5.

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« Previous Page

Donkey Fish Facts Last Updated:
April 1, 2017

To Cite This Page:
Mugo, C. R. 2025. "Earth's Endangered Creatures - Donkey Fish Facts" (Online). Accessed 8/8/2026 at https://earthsendangered.com/profile.asp?sp=10305&ID=5.

Need more Donkey Fish facts?

Custom Search

The Seven Sea Turtle Species of the World

Sea turtles are graceful saltwater reptiles, well adapted to life at sea. Unlike turtles on land, sea turtles cannot retract their legs and head. But with streamlined bodies and flipper-like limbs, they are graceful swimmers able to navigate across the oceans of the world.

Here, we look at the seven species that can be found today, all of which are said to have been around since the time of the dinosaurs.