Porkfish

The porkfish is a member of the grunt family. It can make a grunting sound using its pharyngeal teeth and swim bladder.

• Size

  14 inches (36 cm)

• Diet

  Invertebrates; echinoderms, annelids and crustaceans

• Range

  Western Atlantic, the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea

• Habitat

  Shallow inshore waters over reefs and rocky bottoms

Physical Characteristics

• Porkfish is a deep-bodied fish with a blunt snout, thick lips and a small mouth positioned low on the head.
• Body is bright yellow gold with two conspicuous black bars on the head and front part of the body. There are alternating blue and yellow stripes on the upper part of the body and whitish with yellow stripes below. The fins are yellow.
• Adults can grow to 14 inches (36 cm) in length and weigh 2 lbs. (1 kg).
• Young porkfish do not have black bars but do have a large dark spot near the base of the caudal fin.

Animal Fun Fact

Porkfish are named for the pig-like grunting sounds they make.

Diet / Feeding

• Feeds at night on a variety of invertebrates, such as mollusks, echinoderms, annelids and crustaceans.

Range / Habitat

• Porkfish occur in the Western Atlantic from Florida to Brazil, including the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. They are abundant in Florida, especially the Florida Keys and are considered an introduced species in Bermuda.
• Found in shallow inshore waters over reefs and rocky bottoms at depths from 6 to 65 feet (2 – 20 m).
• Juveniles are common on seagrass beds.

Reproduction & Growth

• Pelagic egg layers: common in reef-dwelling fish. Pelagic spawners lay their eggs directly into the open water. The eggs of the porkfish are easily carried by ocean currents due to their small size and buoyancy.

Conservation Status

• “Least Concern” on the IUCN Red List.

Additional Information

• The porkfish is a member of the grunt family (Haemulidae), which is characterized by the ability to make grunting sounds using its pharyngeal teeth and swim bladder.
• Young porkfish can be reared in human care and is a popular aquarium fish as it removes ectoparasites from other fish.
• This species relatively unafraid of divers and can often be closely approached.
• In Florida, porkfish drift in large inactive schools over reefs in the daytime and disperse to feed at night. They are usually found alone or in small groups throughout the rest of their range.

Sources

• www.fishbase.org
• www.enature.org
• www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish
• Reef Fish Identification, Florida, Caribbean, Bahamas. Humann, P. and Deloach, N.
• Peterson Field Guides – Atlantic Coast Fishes. Robins, C. R. and Ray, G. C.