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Anthias

2007.11.21

The "harem"

It was my dream for a long time to get some macro shots of the lovely Anthias, one of the most common fishes of the Red Sea.
It was a real challenge... not only because of their size - approx. 3 cm - but because they continuosly swim and "dance" agains the strong currents. To catch a sharp close up of them is as difficult as taking a shot of a flying bee... I have spent a whole entire dive (about an hour) just around a coral block to get the above shots. Enjoy!

And here are some interesting information about anthias:
Anthias can swarm by the thousands. Anthias do school in these large groups, though they tend toward more intimate subdivisions within the school, appropriately called "harems". These consist of one dominant, colorful male, anywhere from 2-12 females — who have their own hierarchy among them — and up to 2 'subdominant' males, often less brightly colored and non-territorial. Within the swarm of females, territorial males perform acrobatic U-swim displays and vigorously defend an area of the reef and its associated harem. Wikipedia
And something even more interesting (mentioned already in a previous post)
Anthias species are all hermaphroditic. This means that if a dominant male dies, the largest female will often morph into a male and take its place in the hierarchy.

Wonderful post!
It really was worth the time and efforts spent to end with these gorgeous shots!
All superb colorful shots.
Awesome!

Madoc · 2007-11-21: 10:05

great work! i'm saving #3 to my favorites - i love the contrasting colors of that little guy! #5 looks VERY tired... haha.

lexlevans · 2007-11-21: 10:18

beautiful aquatic set

giodinu · 2007-11-21: 10:45

Fantastic set

peregol · 2007-11-21: 10:48

Well you've done it again! Saved #1 to my favorites.... these are really wonderful.

DancingDolphin · 2007-11-21: 12:03

Great set! Beautiful:)))

sutbali · 2007-11-21: 12:27

Your patience and skill yielded great dividends - this is a lovely set.

davids · 2007-11-21: 12:48

Superb! Excellent takes! Well done!

davidcardona · 2007-11-21: 13:17

#3 is great...
nice set...
...amazing underwater world...

easylife · 2007-11-21: 13:31

wow .. you did it and you did it WELL... beautiful ..I love the amazing colors in these fish :) gorgeous set !!!

????? · 2007-11-21: 13:46

They are the same size as the fish i'm used to catch:-)
But these are really beautiful, prefer#1 because of the nice background.

eljapa · 2007-11-21: 13:59

Magnificent set...you really bring us photos from another world!

Genevieve · 2007-11-21: 14:34

Glorious! All of them are very well done. If I HAD to pick my favorites ... #3 and #7 are amazing. #3 because of the angle, and how the blue pops around the eyes, and of course because its incredibly tough! And #7 because it shows so much movement, and makes us realize how tough your macro shots truly were! Amazing work.

MHJphotos · 2007-11-21: 15:48

They are certainly very attractive, as fish go. Thanks for sharing these amazing photos. Your time and effort are appreciated.

????? · 2007-11-21: 16:14

WOW really liek #3 and 6 very cool looking fish!! Great color!!

SheriJ · 2007-11-21: 17:07

keep going Longimanus. the sky is your limit to your skills

storytaylor · 2007-11-21: 18:01

Hi, Anthias ;))

mimax2 · 2007-11-22: 04:13

Such patience! A great result - spectacular shots!

jet28 · 2007-11-22: 04:26

good job .,., 7 add fav

kojaey · 2007-11-23: 12:45

fantastic. I would love to try underwater photography, but I know it takes a lot of skill and experience to get good shots. These are amazing . Just amazing. Feels as if I'm in the water. The shots are so clear, and the fish seem to have personality.

JuliaGotz · 2007-11-23: 13:06

I do love the fisrt one!

????? · 2007-11-24: 06:14