G is for Grunt

There are many fish in the shallow reefs that swim in rather large schools. One such variety is the grunt. They are slow swimming and congregate in large schools close to the coral.  Two very common varieties are the white grunt and the bluestriped grunt. The white grunt has yellow and light blue stripes on its head and the rest of its body appears to shimmer because of the yellow and blue checked pattern of its scales. Usually, they are eight to ten inches long, however, they can grow up to sixteen inches.  While they swim very slowly in their schools, they tend to move as a group when divers try to approach them, so, slowly, slowly move toward them to get a better view.  The blue striped grunt is especially lovely, because of its brilliant blue stripes running horizontally along its yellowish body. They also swim slowly in large groups and are similar in size to the white grunt.  Both tend to be found on shallow reefs and range from South Carolina, down to Florida and the Bahamas, and into the Caribbean. If there happens to be a bit of a surge where one is diving or snorkeling, the whole school may appear to move with the surge. They are one of the more plentiful fish on the reef and are quite interesting to watch.

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