Description
Also known as Banded Grunter, Banded Perch, Banded Trumpeter, Croaker, Flagtail Grunter, Flagtail Perch, Largescale Grunter, Largescale Terapon, Large-scaled Banded Grunter, Large-scaled Grunter-perch, Large-scaled Terapon, Northern Grunter, Spiky Trumpeter, Squeaking Perch, Straight-lined Thornfish, Teraton-perch.
Found in schools, over shallow sandy bottoms and in seagrass beds, in brackish waters of coastal shorelines.
They feed on fish eggs and zooplankton.
Juveniles found under floating sargassum mats far off-shore.
Length - 30cm
Depth - 0-10m
Widespread Indo-West Pacific
Grunters have this name because of the loud grunting noise that is produced by the swimbladder. Ref: https://www.fishbase.in/summary/Terapon-theraps.html
2 comments
Posted by @fishx6I think they are actually teenagers of the fish world which is why you found them where you did!
Posted by @stellamartinThese are presumably juveniles which are said to float weeds, often far offshore. They must have mistaken snorkellers for weeds!