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Surgeonfish changing colour

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  • Eddie Clamp
    Established TDF Member
    • Jan 2013
    • 1539

    Surgeonfish changing colour

    Taking video of a couple of Surgeonfish at a cleaning station in the Maldives recently I looked away briefly and on looking again I thought I had a different fish as it had changed colour. What does this colour change signify? Anyone know? Threat or pleasure or what? Never seen it before.

    Eddie
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGQ61LapY3Q
  • Divemouse
    Pedantic Pig
    • Dec 2012
    • 7559

    #2
    Don't know about this sp, but lots of fish change colour while being cleaned to indicate to the cleaner fish that they are non threatening and the cleaners are safe to enter mouths etc
    Definitely don't doubt Dawn - not if you value your life

    Comment

    • ChristianG
      Established TDF Member
      • Jan 2013
      • 715

      #3
      Originally posted by Divemouse
      Don't know about this sp, but lqqots of fish change colour while being cleaned to indicate to the cleaner fish that they are non threatening and the cleaners are safe to enter mouths etc
      Do we actually know this? Is it, perhaps, an assumption made by the people who should know better which has now passed into folklore and has become fact?

      Comment

      • Divemouse
        Pedantic Pig
        • Dec 2012
        • 7559

        #4
        How have you managed to insert spelling mistakes into a quote?
        Definitely don't doubt Dawn - not if you value your life

        Comment

        • String
          Loathes Snorkels
          • Dec 2012
          • 1837

          #5
          Doesn't look like a colour change to me - looks more like the camera was exposing for the bright background initially so the fish was dark then it corrected itself and exposed for the first in the latter part.
          Random collection of average photos on Flickr

          Comment

          • frogfone
            Established TDF Member
            • Dec 2012
            • 529

            #6
            Nope, they definitely change colour while being cleaned. We filmed much the same behaviour last time we were there...



            Sharon

            Comment

            • Baron015
              Nav jāuztraucas par manu zirgu
              • Jan 2013
              • 4232

              #7
              Originally posted by String
              Doesn't look like a colour change to me - looks more like the camera was exposing for the bright background initially so the fish was dark then it corrected itself and exposed for the first in the latter part.
              I've seen them colour change loads of times. With no camera involved at all.

              It's pretty common once you start watching out for it. Otherwise you think they come in two colours.

              And I've seen it a bunch of times with no cleaning happening.


              Memento mori.

              Comment

              • ChristianG
                Established TDF Member
                • Jan 2013
                • 715

                #8
                Originally posted by Divemouse
                How have you managed to insert spelling mistakes into a quote?
                You may find that I didn't because I bastardised the quote, which is at least part of the reason why I apologised to Mr Shakespeare.

                My other problem is that I am completely blind in my left eye and the other one does get tired, as it was last night.

                The thing that really worries me however is why you have responded as you did. I was pretty happy with that original message of mine, I thought that it was fairly innocuous.

                Comment

                • K-Padge
                  TDF Member
                  • Jan 2013
                  • 352

                  #9
                  They can be territorial so were probably changing colour in response to you, the diver, as oppose to the cleaner fish.

                  Originally posted by J.R.Nursall [I
                  Some Territorial Behaviour Attributes of the surgeonfish...[/I]]
                  Acanthurus lineatus is territorial at Heron Island, Queensland, outside of its reproductive season. It is suggested that territorial boundaries are visually determined...Body colour increases in intensity with excitement.

                  Comment

                  • taz
                    Established TDF Member
                    • Dec 2012
                    • 801

                    #10
                    Originally posted by frogfone
                    Nope, they definitely change colour while being cleaned. We filmed much the same behaviour last time we were there...



                    Sharon

                    Maybe you filmed the same fish and it was broken.
                    You both found a broken fish and filmed it..................

                    taz

                    .
                    .. ... -. .----. - / -- --- .-. ... . / -.-. --- -.. . / --. --- --- -..

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