Bahamas French Grunts
The French grunt is a dazzling, yellow and silver striped fish native to certain western regions of the Atlantic Ocean. These fish travel in schools at depths of 0 to 197 feet. Most commonly observed around sunset, French grunts are one of several beautiful species of fish that can be spotted on Bahamas snorkel tours.
Habitat
French grunts live near rocky and coral reefs as far north as South Carolina and as far south as Brazil. Found in the western part of the Atlantic Ocean, this species's habitat also includes the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. Islands and island regions including Bermuda, the Bahamas, and Jamaica are common places to see this fish. French grunts commonly scavenge flat sands and seagrass beds in the later evening and night hours.
Description
French grunts are medium sized fish, ranging from about 6 inches to a foot in length. They are flat, yellow fish with horizontal, silver stripes running the length of their backs and diagonal, silver stripes on their sides. Their pectoral fins are yellow and relatively long. Their pelvic fins are always yellow as well. Additionally, French grunts have thick, noticeable, silver colored lips.
Interaction with Humans
French grunts are commonly displayed in public aquariums. Their interesting and picturesque appearance makes them a popular addition to home salt-water aquariums as well. They are too small for broad commercial fishing, but are important in local fisheries and markets. Because of their size, French Grunts are considered great panfish.
Naming
The scientific classification of the French grunt is Haemulon flavolineatum, Haemulon being the genus name and flavolineatum the species name. They belong to the Family Haemulidae, Order Perciformes, and Class Actinopterygii, within the Phylum Cordata in the Animal Kingdom. The English language common name of French grunt comes from the sound the fish make when grinding their teeth. They use their swim bladders to amplify the sound as well. If encountered while on Bahamas snorkel tours, these fish can even be heard making their "grunting" noise underwater! Some other names for these fish include banana grunt, gold laced grunt, and yellow grunt, along with open-mouthed grunt.
Diet
The French grunt's diet consists of invertebrates. Crustaceans such as krill, crabs, and other small invertebrates are commonly eaten by the fish. Polychaetes, a class of annelid worms typically found in marine environments, are common to the diet of a French grunt as well. Mollusks are also typical in a French grunt's diet.
Predators and Parasites
Predators of the French grunt include trumpetfish, black groupers, tiger groupers, yellow fin groupers, Nassau groupers, and other large reef fish. Several digenetic trematodes including Apocreadium foliatum, Brachyphallus parvus, andLeurodera decora are parasitic to the French grunt. The French grunt has not been evaluated by the the World Conservation Union, and is not considered to be at risk for becoming endangered or extinct. There are however some existing threats to the French grunt population, including overfishing and water pollutants.