Carangidae |
The family Carangidae contains 146 species in 30 genera (fishbase) and is widely distributed in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans. They are nearly all silver, openwater predators often seen congregating in schools over and near coral reefs. The largest member of the family - the amberjack - can reach nearly 2m in length. Many members of the family have the ability to change color rapidly from silver to black and back again. The reasons for this color change are unknown but may be to signal an attacking intent, or to indicate sexual receptivity. Some carangids will shadow wrasses, hanging around while the wrasse overturns rocks and feeding on fleeing food items. In the fabulous BBC Planet Earth episode Shallow Seas, dozens of sea snakes are seen joining carangids (and goatfish) and then hunting in tandem. When I was staying at Kri Eco in Raja Ampat, West Papua there used to be a juvenile black tip reef shark (perhaps a metre in length) that cruised up and down the house reef in the shallows. One morning I heard an enormous spash and hurried out to see what had caused the commotion. I missed the attack but one of the dive masters told me that a giant trevally had eaten the black tip. Quite a feat - and I never saw the black tip again so believe the story.
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Carangoides bajad Orange-spotted trevally |
FISH 1270 Carangoides bajad Orange-spotted trevally, Raja Ampat, West Papua. |
FISH 1271 Carangoides bajad Orange-spotted trevally, Raja Ampat, West Papua. |
FISH 8577 Carangoides bajad Orange-spotted trevally, Raja Ampat, West Papua. |
FISH 8580 Carangoides bajad Orange-spotted trevally, yellow morph, Raja Ampat, West Papua. |
Caranx caballus Green jack |
FISH 4967 Caranx caballus, Green jack school, Loreto, Baja California Sur. |
Caranx lugubris Black jack |
FISH 1800 Caranx lugubris Black jack Roca Partida, Revillagigedo islands |
Caranx melampygus Bluefin trevally |
Caranx melampygus Bluefin trevally, Matamanoa, Fiji |
Caranx melampygus Bluefin trevally, Kadavu, Fiji |
Caranx sexfasciatus Bigeye trevally |
FISH 2880 Caranx sexfasciatus Bigeye trevally school, Kri Eco jetty, Raja Ampat, West Papua |
FISH 2881 Caranx sexfasciatus Bigeye trevally school, Kri Eco jetty, Raja Ampat, West Papua. |
FISH 2888 Caranx sexfasciatus Bigeye trevally school, Kri Eco jetty, Raja Ampat, West Papua. |
FISH 7543 Caranx sexfasciatus Bigeye trevally, Kri Eco, Raja Ampat. |
Caranx sexfasciatus Bigeye trevally school, Wakatobi, Sulawesi, Indonesia |
Decapterus muroadsi Amberstripe scad |
FISH 0343 Decapterus muroadsi Amberstripe scad, Guadalupe, Mexico |
Trachinotus blochii Snubnose Pompano |
FISH 7961 Trachinotus blochii Snubnose Pompano, Fairy Grotto, Great Barrier Reef |
Trachinotus rhodopus Gafftopsail pompano |
FISH 3641 Trachinotus rhodopus Gafftopsail pompano, Isla Carmen, Sea of Cortez |
Uraspis helvola Cottonmouth Jack |
FISH 1807 Uraspis helvola Cottonmouth Jack, Roca Partida, Revillagigedo Islands |
FISH 1810 Uraspis helvola Cottonmouth Jack, Roca Partida, Revillagigedo Islands |
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