Page 137 - Caribbean Reef Life Demo

O (Halichoeres garnoti) < 20 cm / 8 in
Bright yellow head and forebody. Dark bar midway down the body. Two distinct lines radiate back from the eyes.
Fish such as the Creole Wrasse form huge schools in areas of stronger current to feed on plankton as it drifts over the reef. Other wrasses are more solitary foragers, but they can be seen following other sh and scavenging off the debris that is churned up. Wrasse are carnivores but are closely related to the herbivorous parrot shes.
Wrasse are mostly females, but may grow to reach a colorful terminal male stage where they take over the responsibility of guarding the harem. These males can be seen ghting with each other over the rights to females in a territory, by opening their jaws towards each other. When the dominant male dies the largest female in the harem can change both its color and its sex, known as the supermale. This process takes only a few days. When it comes time to breed, males of some species gather in congregations known as leks where they display their most vivid colors, trying to attract the females.
336