Tag Archives: Jacks

The Numbers Game #97

A Goldring Surgeonfish and its shadow, or is it? It looks that way, but the shadow is a different fish!

The idea of The Numbers Game is to enter a number into the search bar of your computer and then post a selection of the photos that turn up. This week’s number is 219. Captions are on the photos. You can see more responses here.

Also posted for Becky’s Squares: Shadows. See more responses here.

The Numbers Game #92

A green anole hangs onto a line.
A green anole on a washing line.

The idea of The Numbers Game is to enter a number into the search bar of your computer and then post a selection of the photos that turn up. This week’s number is 214. Captions are on the photos. You can see more responses here.

The Numbers Game #69

Clouds fill the saddle between Mauna Kea and Hualalai.

The idea of The Numbers Game is to enter a number into the search bar of your computer and then post a selection of the photos that turn up. This week’s number is 190. Captions are on the photos. You can see more responses here.

The Numbers Game #60

Two Hawaiian monk seals tussle in a tide pool.
A pair of Hawaiian Monk Seals at Upolu. One of my favorite monk seal photos.

The idea of The Numbers Game is to enter a number into the search bar of your computer and then post a selection of the photos that turn up. This week’s number is 181. Captions are on the photos. You can see more responses here.

The Numbers Game #58

Lava from Kilauea Volcano’s Pu’u O’o vent enters the ocean as if from a firehose.
The fire hose of lava entering the sea from Kilauea Volcano in 2017. Original post here.

The idea of The Numbers Game is to enter a number into the search bar of your computer and then post a selection of the photos that turn up. This week’s number is 179. Captions are on the photos. You can see more responses here.

The Numbers Game #44

Billowy clouds over the Alenuihāhā Channel between Maui and the Big Island, Hawaii
Clouds pile up over the ʻAlenuihāhā Channel.

The idea of The Numbers Game is to enter a number into the search bar of your computer and then post a selection of the photos that turn up. This week’s number is 165. Captions are on the photos. You can see more responses here.

Leatherback

A leatherback fish in the waters off Hawaii

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.

Predators

Blue Goatfishes and other fish hunt fro prey in the waters off Hawaii

It’s not unusual to see this kind of gang activity while snorkeling, and what they’re doing is hunting. Their prey is small fish that take sanctuary in coral heads and among the rocks.

This bunch of hunters is dominated by Blue Goatfishes, easily identified by their blue bodies and yellow saddle at the base of the tail. There’s also a Bluefin Trevally and Pacific Trumpetfish toward the bottom of the photo and, near the top of the photo, a Peacock Grouper with a Whitemouth Moray Eel curling below it.

Eels are popular members of these hunting parties because they can wriggle into the smallest spaces, flushing out prey. The goatfishes perform similar work using long, white barbels below the chin to probe small spaces in the hopes of disturbing a meal. Other fish tag along hoping to be beneficiaries of this work by being the first to snag any victims that get flushed out.