Blackfin Chromis are small damselfishes that gather around coral heads in fairly shallow water. They disappear into the coral and crevices if approached. The black anal fin and black lower edge of the tail are an easy way to identify this fish.
The idea of The Numbers Game is to enter a number into your computer’s search bar and then post a selection of the photos that turn up. I typed in a few numbers and up popped photos I’d forgotten about, so I thought this would be a fun way to feature some photos that ran a while ago, but warranted another airing.
Hawaiian Monk Seal resting.Lesser Grass-blue Butterfly.
This week’s number is 126. Ironically, for this first response, it turned out that three of these photos haven’t run before, but have been languishing in my archives.
Achilles Tangs are one of those fish that I see frequently, but rarely get the chance to photograph. They hang around in the shallows, but scoot for cover when approached. This fish was doing just that, but I managed to get this photo before it disappeared around the corner.
Leatherbacks are members of the jack family. They tend to be solitary or seen in small groups, but until recently, I hadn’t been seeing any at all. I don’t know why that was, but they seem to be back in their usual numbers and activities now.
Sunday Stills challenge theme this week and last week is ‘Your 2023 Year-in-Review.’ See more responses here. As before, I’m going with a favorite photo from each month of 2023, with a caption and link to the post the photo first appeared in. Last week, I posted favorites from January through June. This week, it’s July through December.
September: Mr. Chompers on the move (link).October: Wood you believe it (link)?November: Mauna Kea around sunrise (link).December: The boot’s not on the other foot (link).
Pacific Trumpetfish can be seen in many guises. They’re usually gray or brown according to my fish book, but can be yellow or black with a variety of stripes and bars added to their look, depending on circumstances. The purpose of all these looks is to blend in with their surroundings so that they can more easily ambush fish that are their prey.
The trumpetfish in these photos were accompanying Convict Tangs. The yellow look in the top photo is more often seen when they’re around Yellow Tangs, but the natty look in the bottom photo works better with the tangs and the area they’re swimming.
Pacific Trumpetfish are easily spotted while snorkeling, because they’re a decent size and have a much different look to the fish they accompany. This seems like a failure on their part, but when these fish are seen from the front, which is the view their prey have, they’re virtually invisible!