Black drum
The black drum (Pogonias cromis), also known as the drum or drummer, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Sciaenidae, the drums and croakers. It is found in the western North Atlantic Ocean off the eastern coast of North America. Though most specimens are generally found in the 5-30 lb (2–14 kg) range, the largest black drum was just over 113 lb (51 kg). They are often black and/or gray in color with juvenile fish having distinctive dark stripes over a gray body. Their teeth are rounded and they have powerful jaws capable of crushing oysters and other shellfish. It is recommended those over 15 lb (7 kg) should be released. Black drum are capable of producing tones between 100 Hz and 500 Hz when performing mating calls. Taxonomy The black drum was first formally described as Labrus cromis by Carl Linnaeus in 1766 with one of its type localities given as Carolina. In 1801 the Bernard Germain de Lacépède described a new species, Pogonias fasciatus, without giving a type locality but it is thought to be Charleston, South Carolina, and placed it a new monospecific genus, Pogonias. This taxon is a junior synonym of Linnaeus's