Description: high arched
back; 10 to 14 pairs of chin barbels; gray or black colored body in
adults; young have 4 to 6 vertical bars; has cobblestone-like teeth
capable of crushing oysters; scales large.
Similar Fish: the
vertical bars on juvenile black drum are somewhat similar to those on
sheepshead, Archosargus probatocephalus; spadefish, Chaetodipterus
faber; Sciaenops ocellatus.
Where found: INSHORE fish
common to bays and lagoons; bottom dweller often found around oyster beds;
also OFFSHORE.
Size: common to 30
pounds.
*Florida Record: 96 lbs.
Remarks: largest member
of the drum family; spawns NEARSHORE in winter and early spring; feeds on
oysters, mussels, crabs, shrimp and occasionally fish; longevity to 35 or
more years.
* The Florida records
quoted are from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's
printed publication, Fishing
Lines and are not necessarily the most current ones. The records are
provided as only as a benchmark.
