Thursday 14 June 2012

Violent Head-Butting Discovered in Giant Reef Fish


Scientists diving in the North Pacific were jarred when they heard mysterious sounds like spear guns being fired. The jolting noises turned out to be never-before-seen (or heard) head-butting bouts between some of the largest coral-reef fish, called parrotfish.

As they studied groups of the giant bumphead parrotfish (Bolbometopon muricatum), which can reach 4 feet (1.3 meters) long and 100 pounds (46 kg), the researchers were able to document the violent behavior with video and images.

The reef fish are named for their bulbous foreheads, which add to their eccentric, pouty lips and yellowish-to-pink faces. 

No comments:

Post a Comment

You only need to enter your comment once! Comments will appear once they have been moderated. This is so as to stop the would-be comedian who has been spamming the comments here with inane and often offensive remarks. You know who you are!

Related Posts with Thumbnails

ShareThis