Grunion: Small, silvery marine fish closely related to the mullets and found only along southern and Baja Californian coasts. Male grunions are about 15 cm (about 6 in) long; females are about 18 cm (about 7 in) long.

The grunions have gray backs and silver sides with a longitudinal stripe of black along each side. They come out of the water to mate and lay their eggs. Their spawning season begins in March and ends in August. The spawning of these fish is regulated by the tides; they always breed on the first four nights after the highest tide of the full moon or the new moon. They are so prompt and predictable in their spawning time that the California State Fisheries Laboratory yearly publishes a timetable for sportfishing enthusiasts indicating when the fish will appear. Thousands of the fish at a time come in on high waves on the long, gently sloping beaches. The females dig holes 5 cm (2 in) deep in the sand and deposit about 2000 eggs each; the accompanying males fertilize the eggs. The entire process of deposition and fertilization takes about 25 seconds; the fish return to sea on the ebb of the wave after the one that carried them in. The eggs remain in the sand for two weeks, until the next high tide, when the young hatch are washed out to sea.

Emma from La Hacienda viewing the grunion.

Scientific classification:\b0 The grunion belongs to the family Atherinidae. It is classified as: Leuresthes tenuis. from: Microsoft Encarta Reference Suite 99.