The white grunt is a medium-sized fish, about 12 inches long, with a maximum length of around 20 inches. It has an oblong body that is silver-white with numerous fine horizontal yellow stripes. Its pelvic, dorsal, anal, and caudal fins are all entirely yellow.

A series of blue horizontal stripes runs across the head of the white grunt, alternating with the yellow stripes.

The white grunt is commonly found in the Caribbean sea, the Gulf of Mexico and along the coasts of Florida. It inhabits the tropical waters of the western Atlantic, from Florida in the north to the coasts of Brazil in the south, including many Caribbean islands such as the Bahamas and Guadeloupe.

The white grunt typically lives in shallow waters, from the surface down to about 130 feet. It forms schools of varying but dense sizes around coral reefs, along rocky substrates or above sandy bottoms. The white grunt does not travel extensively with the seasons or throughout its life and generally stays in the same area.

The white grunt is a carnivorous fish that primarily feeds at night on a variety of small bottom-dwelling invertebrates like shrimp, as well as smaller fish.

Besides recreational and commercial fishing, the white grunt is often preyed upon by larger fish such as snappers, groupers and sharks.

The white grunt reproduces sexually. Across its range, the spawning period extends nearly throughout the year, with a peak activity lasting two months but occurring at different times depending on the geographic location.

Its common english name « grunt » refers to the sounds the fish makes, which resemble the grunts of a pig. This sound is produced by the fish's well-developed teeth located in its throat.

Grunts are related to snappers but are generally smaller and have more deeply forked tails.

The white grunt is listed as many other marine species within The IUCN Red List of threatened species. The white grunt appears in the IUCN Red List since 2016 within the category Least Concern !