Caribbean Reef Life:
  • Home
  • Galleries
    • Portraits from the Reef
    • Macro Favorites
    • Reef Behavior Gallery
    • Fishes Gallery
    • Invertebrates Gallery
    • Reefscapes Gallery
    • Blackwater Dive Gallery
  • Book Samples
    • Covers & Indexes
    • Marine Plants
    • Sponges
    • Corals
    • Invertebrates
    • Fishes
  • eBooks
  • More Info
    • QUIZZES
    • PUZZLES
    • VIDEOS
    • BLOG
    • About the Author
    • Contact
    • Reader Reviews
    • Where To Find
    • Photo Updates
    • Updates & Errata
  • Buy Now

Silversides

7/23/2013

0 Comments

 

Silversides from Caribbean Reef Life on Vimeo.

PictureGrouper amongst the Silverslides
Every year in the late summer, lucky divers can be treated to an explosion of these tiny fishes. Silverside schools consist of tiny herrings, anchovies and others, all hatching onto the reef at the same time in a process called“broadcast spawning”. They can be found in their millions, inside caves and canyons in shallow water. By hatching onto the reef at the same time, their natural predators are overwhelmed, becoming literally sated on fish, and so some will survive to carry on the process the following year.

PictureSilverslides - up close
Silversides try to stay as close to each other and to the walls of the reef as possible, moving in unison to confuse predators, such as groupers, jacks and barracudas. It is a time of plenty for these carnivores, with a seemingly endless supply of prey available. Even humans will cash in on this annual event; the commercial name for this catch is“whitebait”. For divers, it is an unforgettable experience.

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Mickey Charteris

    Is a Canadian-born South African living in Honduras, who no longer knows where his accent is from. He has been diving all over the world, but has chosen Roatan as his home because of it's incredible underwater biodiversity. He has spent many thousands of hours underwater, and he is still finding something new on every dive.

    Archives:

    February 2014
    January 2014
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013

    Categories

    All
    Corals
    Identification Tips
    Invertebrates
    Marine Mammals
    Reef Ecology
    Reef Fishes
    Sea Turtles
    Symbiosis

    RSS Feed

All Material, copyright Mickey Charteris, 2016
Picture
  • Home
  • Galleries
    • Portraits from the Reef
    • Macro Favorites
    • Reef Behavior Gallery
    • Fishes Gallery
    • Invertebrates Gallery
    • Reefscapes Gallery
    • Blackwater Dive Gallery
  • Book Samples
    • Covers & Indexes
    • Marine Plants
    • Sponges
    • Corals
    • Invertebrates
    • Fishes
  • eBooks
  • More Info
    • QUIZZES
    • PUZZLES
    • VIDEOS
    • BLOG
    • About the Author
    • Contact
    • Reader Reviews
    • Where To Find
    • Photo Updates
    • Updates & Errata
  • Buy Now