What did I see? ... kissing grunts
Posted September 28th, 2012 by MartinDick
Three feet in front of my mask, two bluestriped grunts approached each other head on, both opened their mouths as wide as possible, and they touched their mouths together, for only a moment, and then separated. I am not nuts. I have a witness.
What did I see? What is that all about?
Friday, September 28, 2012, Pickles Reef, Key Largo, Florida, 29 feet deep, bottom temperature about 85 degrees.
Thank You,
Marty
Grunts that Mouth Off
Marty,
I see this quite often with our local grunt, the Tomtate. They do it to each other, but they also "mouth off" to other fish, so I think it is a territorial display. Here is a link to a photo I have of one "mouthing off" to a blue angelfish. http://www.pbase.com/carol202/image/127865628 sometimes several of the tomates ganged up on the angelfish. On one of my last dives, several Tomtates where harrassing a seargent major with their display.
Carol
Thank You
Great photo! I wish I had my camera with me when "my" grunts "mouthed off." Forty years of diving, and always something new. This is one of the reasons we love it.
Thank You,
Marty