Grey Grunter

The grey grunter is a moderately deep-bodied silvery fish with a faintly forked tail and the family's characteristic ability to produce a grunting sound by grinding its pharyngeal teeth, the noise amplified by the swim bladder. It is plainer than the spotted grunters, lacking heavy spotting on the flanks.

It occurs along the KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape coast, frequenting surf zones, rocky gullies and the lower reaches of estuaries where it forages over sand and mixed ground for small invertebrates and fish. A popular light-tackle angling target inshore, it is best handled carefully given its sharp dorsal spines.