| Mandarin Dive at Dusk |
THE MANDARIN FISH DIVE @ DUSK - A SPECIAL ATTRACTION OF MANADO
Click here for details on our schedule Manado trip, 2 - 11th October '11 The Mandarin Fish is the most beautiful member of the genus Synchiropus. It is also one of the most breathtaking marine fish ever to be found in our oceans. It looks more like an intricate painting than it does a fish, its entire body is made up of wavy alternating lines of orange, blue and green. While they are commonly known as the Mandarin Goby and the Mandarin Fish, their true name is the Mandarin Dragonet. It is similar to the Scooter Blenny (Synchiropus Occelatus) in this respect. Dusk is the moment when one of the most fascinating events in the marine world occurs - the mating of Mandarinfish. Just before the sun sets, 3 to 5 females will make their way to a particular region of the reef and gather where males visit and display courtship behaviour, hoping to attract the females. The visiting males may tour around various sites in one evening spreading their sperm among a number of different females. Lucky guys! The fish then disappear in a flash. The fertilized eggs are from that point at the mercy of the current and normally take around 18-24 hours to hatch into 1 mm long larvae. For a period of up to 2 weeks, they will remain plankton with no parental involvement before finally settling on the reef and choosing an appropriate habitat where they will live for the next 10 to 15 years.
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