Sheepshead

Sheepsheads are easily identified by numerous dark vertical markings on the body.  They get their common name from their impressive sheep like teeth. Sheepsheads typically grow to about one and a half feet but can grow as large as three feet.

Sheepsheads are generally bottom feeders

The sheepshead's scientific name is Archosargus probatocephalus and they belong to the class Osteichthyes, or bony fishes.  Sheepsheads are in the family Sparidae, or porgies.  Sparids are silvery fishes with a steep sloping face and mouths well below the eyes.  Their silver bodies usually have a light coloration or varying head and body markings.  Porgies are typically solitary, bottom dwellers that snack on crustaceans throughout the day.    

Sheepsheads are omnivores that feed on plant matter, invertebrates and small vertebrates.  Some of their favorite foods are blue crabs, oysters, clams, crustaceans, and small fish, such as young Atlantic croakers. Sheepsheads use their hard teeth to break shells and other exoskeletons.  Their teeth are strong enough to break barnacles off rocks.  These fish are in turn food for many different piscivorous fishes and sharks.

Sheepsheads can be found along the entire Atlantic seaboard and are common to Florida.  They are not found in the Bahamas or the Caribbean.  Sheepsheads occupy a wide variety of habitats ranging from inshore lagoons and brackish bays to offshore rock pilings, wrecks, and reefs.  Generally sheepsheads are found offshore during the spawning months where they congregate to mate.  After mating has occurred, they typically move back to inshore environments.

References: "Florida Museum of Natural History Ichthyology Department: Sheepshead." Florida Museum of Natural History. Web. 09 Jan. 2011. <http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/Gallery/Descript/Sheepshead/Sheepshead.html>.; Humann, Paul, and Ned DeLoach. Reef Fish Identification: Florida, Caribbean, Bahamas. Jacksonville, FL: New World Publications, 2002. 40, 72-73. Print.