Volume 6    Number 7

School is in Session for Horse-Eye Jacks
at Long Cay Ridge Reef in Belize

School is in Session for Horse-Eye Jacks at Long Cay Ridge Reef

Many open-water fishes swim in schools for protection and to help each other hunt. These Horse-Eye Jacks are no exception.

We saw these big Horse-Eye Jacks above the top of the wall at Aquarium Reef in Belize. Each fish was about 16 inches from nose to tail. Horse-Eye Jacks are built for speed, with streamlined bodies, swept-back fins, and large forked tails. Notice the yellow tail and the black stripe from the center of the body back to the tail. Horse-Eye Jacks get their name because of their large eyes. These big eyes give these predators good vision to see their prey. Horse-Eye Jacks eat fish that they chase and catch with their speed.

Near the center of this picture is a different fish. Can you spot the Yellowtail Snapper, a little smaller at only 14 inches long and with a yellow stripe on its side?

ReefNews President Jonathan Dowell took this picture using a Canon A2 camera with a 28-105 mm zoom lens in an Ikelite housing with an Ikelite strobe.

 

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