Page 129 - Caribbean Reef Life Demo

SMALLMOUTH GRUNT (Haemulon chrysargyreum) < 25 cm / 10 in il er ith ide ello to oran e stri es runnin do n the len th of the od . ll ns and tail are ri ht ello .
runts are some of the most common sh found on a Caribbean reef and tend to stick together in large schools in the shallows during the day. Many retreat to the lagoons at night for protection. They feed mostly on smaller sh, worms, shrimps and other crustaceans hiding close to the reef.
Male grunts will often compete with one another for territory and the right to mate, by swimming rapidly together and seeing who has the largest set of jaws. This ritualized ghting behavior decides which is the dominant sh without actually wounding another member of the school.
runts school for protection, both as juveniles and as adults. The long bright stripes along their bodies distracts predators: shifting lines in a school of grunt makes it dif cult for the eyes of a predator, like a Barracuda, to lock on to one speci c individual while attacking.
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