NAOTW Hanukkah edition: The Jewfish

Photo credit: ABC news

In honor of 2175 years since the rededication of the 2nd Temple of Israel by the Maccabees following their neat victory over their non-neat Greek-Syrian oppressors we visit an animal whose common name is most likely a result of centuries of anti-Semitism and jabronis not knowing shit about fish: the Jewfish. 

 

The Epinephelus itajara, or the Atlantic goliath grouper or the Jewfish which it was commonly known as for centuries is a large saltwater fish found primarily in shallow tropical waters in the Caribbean.  Although they fit into the caricature of an Ashkenazi Jew, these neat groupers feed largely on crustaceans (in particular spiny lobsters, shrimps and crabs), fishes (including stingrays and parrotfishes), octopus, and young sea turtles, which is far from the typical Hebrew diet of bagels, brisket, and matzo ball soup. Their prey is ambushed with a quick snap of their jaw and they have sharp-ass teeth to capture them eternally although they usually just swallow and engulf them whole. I assume many of them also begin their day reading the New York Times in between bouts of Teffilin.

Photo credit: National Geographic

The Jewfish has the unique ability to produce a distinctly audible rumbling sound by the contraction of their swim bladder. This sound travels great distances underwater and is also used to locate other Jewfish.  Yet when Jewfish get older and they have an enlarged prostates they resort to a higher pitch nagging sound until they get what they want. 

 

Jewfish's widest point is more than half its total length, they can grow to lengths of over 8 feet and can weigh as much as 800 pounds.  That's a lot of Jewfish!!!

Finally, the Jewfish is listed as a critically endangered species because of overfishing and much like the Jewish people has been a protected species in the U.S. and Caribbean waters since the early 1990s.

 

Happy Hanukkah!!!  Have a neat 8 crazy nights. 

 

Here's a neat video of Jewfish eating a Nazi shark:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O37HI_AX9nY

 

And here's a 450lbs Jewfish in 1976 caught by fisherman Buddy Jenks in Florida. 

Photo credit: Florida Museum of Natural History