Video

MOSSEL BAY NEWS - During the holiday season a video was taken at the Great Brak River estuary by Gideon Louw, a visitor from Cape Town, showing a small, silvery white and blue fish, darting about in the shallow water.

Its unique iridescent blue colouration, big pectoral fins and long, divided tail helped identify it as a juvenile bluebottle fish (Nomeus gronovii).

This fish is found in sub-tropical waters. Adults are typically near the bottom of the sea, between 70 to 200 metres deep.

As they mature, their eye-catching colours change to a uniform brown. One of the most intriguing aspects of the bluebottle fish's life cycle is its juvenile stage.

During this period the young Nomeus gronovii are found in association with bluebottles. They take refuge among the bluebottles' tentacles. 

This relationship is thought to provide the fish with protection from predators, as the bluebottle stinging cells deter potential threats while the fish helps clean the bluebottle tentacles by eating small crustaceans and other particles.

See the video by Gideo Louw below:

Although the bluebottle fish are able to tolerate 10 times the quantity of bluebottle venom that kills other fish, they are occasionally eaten by their hosts.

Large numbers of bluebottles have washed up on our beaches recently, and the bluebottle fish would have been blown into the estuary with the bluebottles.

If anyone sees one of these fascinating creatures, the Great Brak River Conservancy would appreciate it if you took a picture and loaded it on to iNaturalist - a nature app that helps identify and map plants and animals.

If you do not have access to iNaturalist, the conservancy can do it if you are prepared to share your photographs.

The conservancy would love to be able to record this strange little fish and others as confirmed species on our species list.

The conservancy's iNaturalist species list currently includes 1 620 different recorded species of mammals, birds, plants, invertebrates, fungi and fish. It appeals to all residents and visitors of Great Brak River to aid in conserving and growing this list.

To learn more about the conservancy, visit its Facebook page, Great Brak River Conservancy.

‘We bring you the latest Garden Route, Hessequa, Karoo news’