<P> The red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus), also known as channel bass, redfish, spottail bass, or simply red, is a game fish found in the Atlantic Ocean from Massachusetts to Florida and in the Gulf of Mexico from Florida to northern Mexico . It is the only species in the genus Sciaenops . The red drum is related to the black drum (Pogonias cromis), and the two species are often found in close proximity to each other; they can interbreed and form a robust hybrid, and younger fish are often indistinguishable in flavor . </P> <P> Red drum are a dark red color on the back, which fades into white on the belly . The red drum has a characteristic eyespot near the tail and is somewhat streamlined . Three - year - old red drum typically weigh 6 - 8 lb . The largest red drum on record weighed just over 94 lb and was caught in 1984 on Hatteras Island . Red drum and black drum both make a croaking or drumming sound when distressed . </P> <P> The most distinguishing mark on the red drum is one large black spot on the upper part of the tail base . Having multiple spots is not uncommon for this fish, but having no spots is extremely rare . As the fish with multiple spots grow older, they seem to lose their excess spots . Scientists believe that the black spot near their tail helps fool predators into attacking the red drum's tail instead of its head, allowing the red drum to escape . The red drum uses its senses of sight and touch, and its downturned mouth, to locate forage on the bottom through vacuuming or biting . On the top and middle of the water column, it uses changes in the light that might look like food . In the summer and fall, adult red drum feed on crabs, shrimp, and mullet; in the spring and winter, adults primarily feed on menhaden, mullet, pinfish, sea robin, lizardfish, spot, Atlantic croaker, and mudminnows . </P> <P> Red drum naturally occur along the southern Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts of Louisiana, Texas, Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida . Aquaculture activities involving them occur around the world . Immature red drum prefer grass marsh areas of bays and estuaries when available . Both younger mature red drum (3 - 6 years of age) and bull red drum prefer rocky outcroppings including jetties and manmade structures, such as oil rigs and bridge posts . Around this type of structure, they are found throughout the water column . </P>

What do the spots on a red fish mean
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