Grunts

The reefs of Bonaire are inhabited by quite a few species of grunt.  Most of the ones that we encounter are in schools, but some are solitary.

The name "grunt" comes from a sound produced by these fish, a grinding of their teeth that is amplified by their air bladder.  I haven't heard them grunting.  They apparently do it in associating with mating behavior.

Most often, the species that we encounter are either the French grunt (top photo) or the smallmouth grunt (bottom 2 photos).  They often school together (next to top photo).  All of these fish were 6 to 8 inches, and neither species gets longer than 12 inches.  The photos were taken at 30 to 45 feet deep.