Caesar grunt facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Caesar grunt |
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The Caesar grunt (Haemulon carbonarium) is a cool fish found in the western Atlantic Ocean. People also call it the black grunt, blacktail grunt, or redmouth grunt. It belongs to a group of fish known as grunts, which are part of the Haemulidae family.
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What Does the Caesar Grunt Look Like?
The Caesar grunt has a body that's a bit flat from side to side and shaped like an oval. Its head is deep with a rounded snout. It has a mouth that opens straight and isn't too big.
Its main fin on its back, called the dorsal fin, is one long fin with a small dip in the middle. This fish has 12 strong spines and 15 or 16 soft rays in its dorsal fin. The fin on its belly, called the anal fin, has three spines and eight soft rays.
The fish is mostly silvery-white. It has cool orange-brown stripes running along its body. These stripes are wider and easier to see above its side line, called the lateral line. A special mark to look for is a black spot near its tail fin. This spot helps you know it's a Caesar grunt!
Most of its fins are clear, like glass. But its tail fin is dark. The spiny part of its dorsal fin has an orange-brown edge, and the soft part has a dark edge. Its head has pretty bronze-yellow stripes and spots. If you look inside its mouth, you'll see it's orange!
Caesar grunts can grow up to about 36 centimeters (about 14 inches) long. But most of the time, they are around 20 centimeters (about 8 inches) long.
Where Do Caesar Grunts Live?
You can find the Caesar grunt in the western part of the Atlantic Ocean. They live from Florida and Bermuda in the north, all the way down through the Bahamas. They are also common in the Gulf of Mexico, including places like the Florida Keys. You can also spot them along the coast of Mexico and throughout the beautiful Caribbean Sea.
What Do Caesar Grunts Do?
Caesar grunts like to live in clear water. You'll find them near rocky areas or coral reefs. They also hang out in mangroves, which are special forests that grow in salty water. They usually live in water that's between 2 and 30 meters (about 6 to 98 feet) deep.
These fish are very social! They love to swim together in big groups called schools. They are also night owls, meaning they feed mostly at night. They eat small creatures that live on the seafloor. This includes things like crabs, snails (called gastropods), starfish, and worms (called polychaetes).
When it's time to have babies, Caesar grunts find a partner. They lay their eggs, which then float in the ocean as tiny larvae.
Who Named the Caesar Grunt?
The Caesar grunt was first officially described in 1860. A Cuban scientist named Felipe Poey gave it its scientific name, Haemulon carbonarium. The name carbonarium means "coal-like." This is because its fins are dark, which reminded people of coal. In Cuba, they even called it Ronco carbonero, which means "coal grunt."
How Are Caesar Grunts Used?
People sometimes catch Caesar grunts for food. They are also caught to be kept as pets in aquariums. Fishermen use different ways to catch them, like traps, fishing lines, and large nets called seines. When they are caught, they are usually sold fresh to eat.
