13132560. Atlantic tripletail or tripletail, Lobotes surinamensis

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13132560. Atlantic tripletail or tripletail, Lobotes surinamensis

Atlantic tripletail or tripletail, Lobotes surinamensis. Young fish have a curious behavior related to feeding and to protect themselves from the numerous predators of the mangrove. They assume a lying position allowing themselves to be carried immobile by the current, looking like a dead leaf. Its brownish coloration with dark spots further reinforces this mimic effect. They often assume this behaviour by placing themselves in the vicinity of dead leaves carried by the current as is the case with the animal in this photo. This is a feeding strategy because of the locality of their prey items and the floating structures associated with this behaviour. They use the same strategy for defence mimic dead leaves drifting amongst flotsam at the surface or moving along the bottom with the current. Juvenile Atlantic tripletails are colored a mottled yellow, brown, and black. Adults are jet black. When it lies on its side at the surface, the tripletail is easily confused for a floating mangrove leaf. Caribbean Date

Media ID 24510678

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