(Linnaeus, 1766); SCIAENIDAE FAMILY; also called drum, sea drum, common drum

Found in the western Atlantic Ocean from Nova Scotia to northern Mexico, including southern Florida, then from southern Brazil to Argentina. An inshore, schooling fish, the black drum is known to inhabit areas near breakwaters, jetties, bridge and pier pilings, clam and oyster beds, channels, estuaries, bays, high marsh areas, and the shorelines over sandy bottoms.

Drums are members of the croaker family (Sciaenidae) which are comprised of 260 species including the weakfish, spotted seatrout, white seabass, Atlantic croaker, and California kingfish. The black drum is distinguished from similar species by the unusually large spine in the anal fin and numerous barbels on the chin. There are large pavement like teeth in the throat that are used to crush shellfish. Unlike the red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus), the black drum has no dark spot on the tail base. Juveniles have 4 or 5 broad, dark vertical bars on the body. They feed on mollusks and crustaceans that they locate in the sand with their sensitive chin barbels.

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