[Coral-List] Extraordinary aggressive behavior in bumphead parrotfish

Todd Kellison todd.kellison at noaa.gov
Mon Jun 11 10:45:33 EDT 2012


All –


The research described below, led by Dr. Roldan C. Muñoz of NOAA’s National
Marine Fisheries Service in Beaufort, NC, may be of interest:


NOAA scientists have published the first ever documentation of aggressive
headbutting in a marine fish, the giant bumphead parrotfish (*Bolbometopon
muricatum*). While studying these large, charismatic, and imperiled fish in
2011 at Wake Atoll with partners from Scripps Institution of Oceanography
and Mariculture Hawaii, LLC; researchers were surprised by loud jarring
sounds which were later identified and documented as ritualized headbutting
contests by large bumphead parrotfish males. The behavior and its
significance are documented in a new article published June 6th in PLoS
ONE, available at
http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0038120.


Supplementary video clips can also be accessed from the link above.


Also see
http://www.nature.com/news/giant-reef-fish-headbutt-their-rivals-for-sex-1.10799



Best regards,

Todd

Todd Kellison
Chief, Fisheries Ecosystems Branch
NOAA Fisheries - Beaufort Laboratory
101 Pivers Island Road
Beaufort, NC 28516252.838.0810 (phone)252.728.8784
(fax)http://www.sefsc.noaa.gov/labs/beaufort/ecosystems/


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