Granito de Oro and Isla Coiba, Panama
This is a stay-at-home dad.
A male Panamic sergeant major first selects a nest site, and then meticulously cleans it. He pushes off stones with his head, fans away sand with his fins, and removes live organisms by nipping them, or carrying them away in his mouth. Once prepared, the smooth rock nest must be defended and nesting male sergeant majors can become aggressively territorial.
To grab the attentions of nearby females, a hopeful male swims quickly back and forth across his nest. By swimming in loops a male may attract more distant females; it can take several dozen of these swimming loops . . .but eventually . . . hopefully . . . a female arrives to spawn. She skims right over the rock, laying down her small, purplish eggs in rows. As she circles around to lay more rows of eggs, the male follows in close pursuit (see photo), occasionally releasing a cloud of milt. If her egg laying slows, he might encourage her to speed up with a quick nip on her fins!
During the week it takes for the eggs to hatch, total responsibility for the nest is left to the males. They chase away egg thieves, remove damaged eggs, and fan them with their fins to keep them clean. So, what does this hard-working male gain? Unlike many fishes, a male sergeant major is assured of the paternity of all the eggs in his nest!
We saw these and other fishes near the tiny, picturesque islet called Granito de Oro. Birdwatchers were delighted with the many bird species they found on nearby islands.
This is a stay-at-home dad.
A male Panamic sergeant major first selects a nest site, and then meticulously cleans it. He pushes off stones with his head, fans away sand with his fins, and removes live organisms by nipping them, or carrying them away in his mouth. Once prepared, the smooth rock nest must be defended and nesting male sergeant majors can become aggressively territorial.
To grab the attentions of nearby females, a hopeful male swims quickly back and forth across his nest. By swimming in loops a male may attract more distant females; it can take several dozen of these swimming loops . . .but eventually . . . hopefully . . . a female arrives to spawn. She skims right over the rock, laying down her small, purplish eggs in rows. As she circles around to lay more rows of eggs, the male follows in close pursuit (see photo), occasionally releasing a cloud of milt. If her egg laying slows, he might encourage her to speed up with a quick nip on her fins!
During the week it takes for the eggs to hatch, total responsibility for the nest is left to the males. They chase away egg thieves, remove damaged eggs, and fan them with their fins to keep them clean. So, what does this hard-working male gain? Unlike many fishes, a male sergeant major is assured of the paternity of all the eggs in his nest!
We saw these and other fishes near the tiny, picturesque islet called Granito de Oro. Birdwatchers were delighted with the many bird species they found on nearby islands.
