Biology
To defend their territory, porkfish face their aggressors, opening their mouths whose bright red interiors serve as a warning.
Porkfish, also known as « grunts », can make grunting noises by rubbing their pharyngeal teeth together. Those sounds are then amplified by their gas bladder.
Young porkfish act as cleaners for other species, ridding them of their external parasites. They tend to flock to mangroves. The adults feed on invertebrates like worms, molluscs and crustaceans.