A small silvery fish found along the coasts of California and Mexico that comes ashore at night to spawn on the beach.
From Spanish "gruñón" meaning "grunter," derived from the verb "gruñir" (to grunt). The fish was named for the grunting sounds it makes, particularly during spawning season.
Grunions are one of nature's most precise spawners—they emerge from the ocean only during specific high tides triggered by the full and new moons, timing their breeding to within hours. Ancient California Native Americans harvested them sustainably for centuries, and today their spawning runs are a protected phenomenon watched by thousands.
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