French Grunts Schooling

This video was taken on January 21st 2017 at the Georgia Aquarium. The fish species show in the video is a ray finned fish called the french grunt (Haemulon flavolineatum). In this video it can be seen that the grunts are showing schooling behavior. This schooling behavior is used as a defense mechanism against predators. While most reef fish when confronted with a predator will swim away and hide the french grunt gathers into tight large schooled groups and surrounds the predator. The individuals that are behind the predator will then nip at the predators tail as a warning. This can happen a few times until the predator feels threatened and leaves. French grunts are also often found schooling with their relative the blue striped grunt (Haemulon sciurus). The interaction between the blue striped grunt and French grunt can often display interspecific territoriality contest competition. The blue striped grunt has been known to push the french grunts around with an open mouth as a mechanism of defending their territory. While the french grunts school during the day they separate at night as they go in search of food. This feeding habit makes the interspecific competition for food more of an exploitative form of competition than an interference form of competition, as often the french grunt has a specific area it retreats to at night where it is less likely to come in direct contact with other french grunts.

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