Ken Schultz's Field Guide to Saltwater Fish - Macaw Pets store

The California grunion is a member of the Atherinidae family
of fish known as silversides. It is an important forage
species for predator fish; in season, large numbers of anglers
gather on the beaches to fill buckets with grunion that are
undergoing a remarkable spawning ritual in the sand.
Identification. The California grunion has an elongate
body and head that are more or less compressed. The
mouth is small, and the scales are small, smooth, and firm.
Its coloration is bluish-green above and silvery below; a
bright silvery band tinged with blue and bordered above
with violet extends the length of the body.
Size/Age. The maximum known size of grunion is 7 1 ⁄2
inches. The life span is usually 3 years, with some individuals
surviving 4 years.
Life history/Behavior. The most rapid growth takes
place during the first year, at the end of which they are 5
inches long and capable of spawning. The spawning behavior
of grunion is one of the more unusual among all marine
fish. Females, accompanied by one to eight males, swim
onto the beach with an incoming wave, dig themselves
into the sand up to their pectoral fins, and lay their eggs.
The males wrap themselves around the female and fertilize
the eggs. With the next wave, the fish return to the sea.
Thus, the spawning process is effected in the short period of
time between waves. Most females spawn from four to
eight times a year, and thousands of the fish may be along
the beach at a time.
Spawning takes place from early March through September
and then only for 3 or 4 nights following the full
moon, during the 1 to 4 hours immediately after high tide.
Food. The feeding habits of this species are not well
known; however, they subsist on small crustaceans and fish
eggs.
Grunion, California
Leuresthes tenuis
OTHER NAMES
smelt, little smelt, grunion,
lease smelt.
Distribution. The California
grunion occurs from
Magdalena Bay, Baja California,
to San Francisco;
however, the principal range
is between Point Abreojos,
Baja California, and Point
Conception, California. A
similar species, the gulf
grunion (L. sardina), is
restricted to the Gulf of
California.
Habitat. California
grunion are nonmigratory
and are most often found in
schools a short distance
from shore in water 15 to
40 feet deep.
Grunion, California 91