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.