Blue-Striped Grunt

Photo: Luke Foster · CC BY-NC

Blue-striped grunts pack into the sheltered spaces beneath the wreck timbers in tight, quivering schools that part and reform as divers pass through, creating a shimmering tunnel effect in the clear Atlantic water. They are crepuscular predators that disperse to surrounding sandy areas at dusk to hunt invertebrates, returning to the wreck at dawn to rest in their communal daytime aggregation. The species is named for the grunting sound produced by grinding pharyngeal teeth, amplified by the swim bladder, which serves as inter-individual communication.