The mutton snapper (Lutjanus analis) is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a snapper belonging to the family Lutjanidae. It is found in the Western Atlantic Ocean.
The mutton snapper is a predatory species which changes its diet during its life cycle. The larvae feed on plankton near the surface of the sea, when they settle to live in the turtle grass beds they eat larger items of plankton and small invertebrates. As they grow they begin to feed on crustaceans, gastropods and smaller fishes, like grunts and mullets. They feed throughout the day, picking at prey. The body color changes depending on the method of feeding, the dark barred pattern being adopted when feeding near the bottom.
The mutton snapper is native to the western Atlantic Ocean where it occurs from Massachusetts in the north to Brazil in the south. It is commonest in the warmer waters of Florida, the Bahamas, the Caribbean Sea and in the Gulf of Mexico. This species occurs in comparatively shallow clear waters at depths from 25 to 95 m (82 to 312 ft) where the water temperature is between 18.9 and 27.8 °C (66.0 and 82.0 °F). The larger adults live in and around offshore reefs and in area of rock rubble, and the juveniles stay in inshore waters where they can be abundant in habitats such as tidal mangrove creeks, canals and shallow protected bays. The juveniles often shelter within turtle grass beds.
