Colours in the Sea

Why do leopards have spots or zebras have stripes? Why are parrots green and belugas snow white?

I've always been facinated by the colours of fish while diving. The diversity is extrodinary. More viberantly coloured fish and invertbates are found in tropical and sub tropicals waters around the world. Butterfly fish and Parrotfish come to mind as some of the more well known and often seen fish in aquariums around the world and in the wild.

Butterfly Fish

Parrot Fish

Their striking colours catch the eye and stand out against the reefs, in the Pacific Northwest we don't have as many brightly coloured fish, only few and those mostly belong to the Greenling family.

One member of that family is the Painted Greenling (Oxylebius pictus) and can be identified by its elongated head with a pointed snout, and large dark vertical bars (usually red) against a whitish body. This barring is obscured in darkened breeding males. The Painted Greenling has two pairs of bushy projections (cirri) near its eyes - one of the pairs looks bushy eyebrows. This distinctive fish grows to about 25 cm in length.

The fish can be found in pairs or individually, hovering around rocky reefs in the intertidal and subtidal areas and reaching depth to about 50 meters (130 ft.). Individuals, especially juveniles, can be found resting at the base or on the oral disc of some anemone species. This is done for protection and the stinging tentacles of the anemones seem not the bother the greenling.

Painted Greenlings range extends from central Alaska to northern Mexico. Divers often find this species hovering but stationary - unless a cluster of its orange eggs are nearby, in which case it may confront the intruder. I haven't been able to find any real science as to why this fish looks the way it does, its colouration does however seem to blend into the reef when its a juvenile and subadult.

Photographing this pretty fish is a wonderful experience, they aren't very shy and well rest on the reef while you compose your image. Just be careful if you come across these guys while protecting their eggs, they can be very aggressive if they feel you have violated their personal space. Give them space and reduce their stress.

Thanks for reading.

Scott

For more stories and images - http://www.scottstevensonphotography.ca/