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Tomtate

Tomtate grunt

Haemulon aurolineatum

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Fun Facts

While fishers usually don't focus on them, they are important sources of food for larger reef fishes.

Species Type:

Fishes

Common Name(s):

Tomtate grunt

Size:

Tomtate grunts grow to an average size of 7 inches (18 centimeters) long. The largest recorded length of a tomtate grunt is 11 inches (28 centimeters).

Diet:

These fish feed on shrimp, crabs, plankton, algae, and mollusks like scallops and snails.

Range & Habitat:

These fish can be found in seagrass beds, sandy bottoms and coral reefs throughout the Gulf of Mexico and western Atlantic ocean.

Details:

The tomtate grunt is silvery gray with yellow stripes from head to tail and light blue fins. Younger fish have a small black dot at the tail’s base. Young tomtate grunts sometimes act as cleaner fish, eating parasites off of larger fish. As one of the smallest grunts, they make a “grunting” sound by grinding their teeth, helping them communicate with each other.

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