Fish

Spotted grunter

Pomadasys commersonnii

An estuary-loving grunter that roots in the mud for prawns and "grunts" audibly when landed.

Also known as gespikkelde knorder, grunter, tiger

Spotted grunter
Photo: Craig Peter · CC BY-NC 4.0
Habitat
Estuaries and adjacent surf

The spotted grunter is a silvery fish marked with dark spots, part of a large genus of grunters named for the sound they make with the swim bladder. It is strongly associated with estuaries, where it tails in the shallows and roots in soft mud for prawns and other invertebrates.

It moves between estuaries and the adjacent surf and reef, and is a favourite of estuary anglers.

Seen at these spots