Using a non-threatening species as a shield may be the best way for the reef fish to catch their next meal.
and then rapidly fled back to their shelter in response to this potential threat from a predator. When a model of an herbivorous and non-threatening parrotfish moved past alone, the damselfish inspected it and did not have as big a reaction. as a way to replicate the shadowing behavior that the real trumpetfish use on the reef. The damselfish did not appear to detect the threat and responded the same way they did to the parrotfish model.
Damselfish inspected the model trumpetfish – and rapidly fled from this predator to avoid being eaten. CREDIT: Sam Matchette. “I was surprised that the damselfish had such a profoundly different response to the different fish; it was great to watch this happening in real time,” said Matchette. The long thin trumpetfish uses a bigger, non-threatening species of fish, such as parrotfish, as camouflage to get closer to its dinner without being detected. CREDIT: Sam Matchette
Local divers were interviewed to see if this was happening out in the wild. The divers said they were more likely to observe shadowing behavior on degraded, less structurally complex reefs. Global warming from human-caused climate change, pollution, and overfishing are
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