Butterflyfish romance

Out snorkeling, didn't realize how scarce these cute pairs of butterflyfish were until I went home to study up on them. Glad I took a movie!
Out snorkeling, didn’t realize how scarce these cute pairs of butterflyfish were until I went home to study up on them. Glad I took a movie! (Click photo to view.)

Butterflyfish are among the more common fish you’ll see while out snorkeling. Behind these guys are the ubiquitous convict tang. We also get to see moorish idols frequently (striped with long pennant from dorsal fin). So I wasn’t exactly surprised to find these cuties, but what made this little trip special is the sun popped out only briefly while I was snorkeling, which helps bring contrast to the fish and makes the pictures come out better. I decided to catch a movie of them hanging out and am glad I did – when I came home to study up on these particular butterflyfish, I found that they are considered relatively scarce here and are thought to be more common on Kauai. They eat live coral polyps and do not survive in captivity. They are also thought to mate for life. I am sure glad they decided to make Kaneohe Bay their home! Dave saw a bunch of juvenile parrotfishes yesterday. They are also pretty neat to learn about – they eat live coral and the teeth in their throats grind it up during digestion. The tiny particles are then deposited from their anus, forming  a large portion of our sand in the process. Also, they are very deep sleepers at night and are known to secrete a mucous around their entire bodies, some biologists think to keep eels from smelling a tasty meal. The parrotfish come in a wide array of colors and designs, and they change their markings during maturation, making these fish “an ichthyologist’s nightmare” according to our excellent guidebook (Hoover’s Hawaii’s Fishes). “Anyone who can accurately identify them underwater is a master…” Good job, Dave! They are among my favorite to spot, too.

3 Comments

  1. Gramma Oli 7 June, 2010

    Exceptional movie! Underwater photography isn’t easy and you captured the best! Loved your written description, too!

  2. Marilou 9 June, 2010

    Hi Allison, Your camera takes such beautiful pics. Thanks for sharing with us.

  3. Molly 11 June, 2010

    AWESOME!!!!! AWESOME!!!!! AWESOME!!!!! My Uncle lives on Kaneohe Bay!! I get very excited when I actually know where you are during your adventures ;o)

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