Palometa Jack / Great Pompano
Trachinotus goodeiAt snorkeling depths, the Palometas (also known as the Great Pompano) you will see will usually be juveniles cruising about in groups. Occasionally they will hang around with juvenile Permits in clear sandy beach areas where they feed on crustaceans, worms, insect pupae, mollusks and fishes The Palometas are silvery with 4 body bars (sometimes not obvious) with extremely long dark dorsal, anal and tail fins. The can grow to almost 20 inches long. They are native to the areas of Western Atlantic: East Coast, Bermuda and Western Antilles, and the Gulf of Mexico to Argentina. They could be easily be confused with the Permit Jack. check the dorsal fins, the Palometa has dorsal fins the extend halfway to the tail tips.
