Page 69 - BBC Wildlife Volume 36 #05

or divers and fishwatchers, there
Most of them didn’t pay me any attention
are certain famous fish that you as they had other things on their minds.
dream of meeting. Among them Small females were swimming in twos and
are seahorses, hammerhead threes in wide, looping circles around the
and whale sharks, manta rays… spawning territory: the tip of a teardrop-
and humphead wrasse. If you’re shaped coral atoll called Swallow Reef.
lucky enough to spot one of these A few larger males were hanging back,
Fichthyological celebrities, you do watching what was going on and waiting
your best to stay calm. But in truth, it’s hard for their moment to sneak in and take part
not to make a fool of yourself by squealing in the proceedings. And there was one truly
through your diver’s mouthpiece. gigantic male, with a bulging blue bump on
The first time I saw a humphead wrasse, his forehead and huge blue, bee-stung lips.
also known as Napoleon wrasse, it showed Trailing around after the females, this
me just what it feels like to be carefully and dominant male had one goal in mind: to
thoughtfully watched by an animal close to persuade each of them to join him briefly
my own body size. It was on Australia’s Great above the reef. In a swift sequence, the pair
Barrier Reef and as the massive fish swam would press their bodies together in a close
past it tracked me with its bulging eyes, shimmy and release a puff of eggs mingling
swivelling in their sockets like a chameleon’s. with sperm. Then the female would swim
After more solo encounters with these away, back to her solitary life on the reef
enormous creatures, I had an opportunity to while the male wasted no time wooing
study their mating habits. It involved months the next female. With the dominant male
of planning and three days of motoring off engrossed, other subordinate males did their
the northern coast of Borneo into the wild best to mate with females behind his back.
reaches of the South China Sea. When we Day after day, these big fish got on with
finally arrived, I jumped in the warm water the important business of making more of
and soon found myself surrounded by themselves. I was one of the first marine
dozens of giant wrasse. biologists to witness and study the mating