Fish
Grunt
Haemulidae · also called grunts
A grunt makes its namesake sound not with anything like a voice but by grinding a set of teeth located deep in its own throat, a noise its swim bladder then amplifies into a resonant drone. By day these fish rest in large, tightly packed schools over the same reef spot they return to again and again, scattering only at night to feed.
Overview
Grunts, family Haemulidae, are reef-associated fish of tropical and subtropical Atlantic and Pacific coastal waters, especially common across the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico. They hunt small invertebrates at night, resting in dense daytime schools near reef shelter.
A grind, an echo, a display
The grunting sound comes from pharyngeal teeth, amplified by the swim bladder into a resonant drone. Some species also perform a striking mouth-to-mouth face-off, flashing a brightly coloured mouth interior in what appears to be a territorial display.
Status
Least Concern — common and widespread across warm reef and coastal habitat, valued both as a food fish and for recreational fishing in parts of the Americas.
Grunt: common questions
How does a grunt actually make its grunting sound?
The sound comes from the fish grinding together a specialised set of teeth located in the throat, called pharyngeal teeth, rather than from any vocal cord or breathing-related structure, and this grinding action is then amplified and given a more resonant, droning quality by the swim bladder, which functions somewhat like an internal resonating chamber to make the resulting sound louder and more noticeable.
Why do grunts sometimes face off mouth to mouth?
Researchers believe this striking behaviour, in which two grunts position themselves face to face with mouths open, sometimes revealing a brightly coloured mouth interior, functions as a form of aggressive or territorial display between rival individuals, though the precise details and full range of situations that trigger this behaviour are still an area of ongoing study.
Do grunts stay in the same spot on a reef every day?
Many grunt species show strong site fidelity, with the same school or individual fish returning to rest at the same general daytime location on a reef repeatedly over time, even though they typically disperse at night to forage over nearby sand, rubble, or seagrass before regathering at that familiar resting spot the following day.
Are grunts good to eat?
Yes, several grunt species are considered good food fish and are commonly caught and eaten in parts of the Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico, and other warm coastal regions of the Americas, valued for their flavour, and they also have some recreational fishing importance in areas where they are common and accessible near shore.