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Coral Reef Fish - Grunts
Grunts belong to the family Haemulidae. They are medium to large fish (12-18 inches) that produce grinding sounds with their teeth that are amplified by the air bladder and sound like a "grunt". These colorful fish congregate in small groups to large schools during the day and represent a good deal of the biomass on the reef. Grunts are identified by the differences in their color, body stripes, and tail markings. Identification of early juvenile grunts are very difficult and patience is needed.
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 Cottonwick Haemulon melanurum |
 Bluestriped grunt Haemulon sciurus |
 Porkfish Anisotremus virginicus |
 White grunt Haemulon plumieri |
 Sailors choice Haemulon parra |
Note: Most of these photos were taken at the National
Aquarium in Baltimore, Shedd
Aquarium in Chicago, South Carolina
Aquarium in Charelston, Key
West Aquarium, and Pennekamp
State Park Aquarium in Florida. Feel free to use these photographs
on any of your government, citizen or not-for-profit Web sites. I only
ask that you credit this Web site page and acknowledge the name of the
photographer in the alt tag. Please email us
if you need higher resolution photos or permissions for other purposes.
Learn more about fish as environmental indicators
and coral reefs.