Via National Geographic News, which has just posted it's annual "Best Wildlife Photographs of the Year." View the complete photo gallery here.
About the photo above:
Animal Behavior Winner: "Turtle Grooming"
Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition, 2006
This green turtle is getting a full-body cleaning and massage courtesy of local fish at Turtle Pinnacle near Kailua Kona, Hawaii.
U.S. marine biologist Andre Seale, who took this photo, says the protected green turtles that come here rarely have to wait long for such a treatment from the fish, though some get more attention than others.
"Not all turtles attract so many fish, perhaps because of the amount of algae that's growing on them," Seale said.
The algae-eaters are colorful yellow tang and goldring surgeonfish, a species found only around the Hawaiian Islands. Also indigenous to the region is the saddleback wrasse, seen underneath, which feeds on dead and damaged skin.
"The turtles go up for a gulp of air, then come back down again," he added. "It's a bit like a car wash for them."
Delightful!
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3 comments:
oh, man, I'd love to take a photo like that.
The turtles just swim right by you when you're snorkeling. They're simply beautiful, with these luminous, wise eyes...
Me too. The gear to be able to do that is fairly expensive, but I'd love to do some underwater photography.
Nice shot! It wasn't too long ago that Science News carried an article about wrasses nipping unwary clients as they waited in line to be groomed. Apparently, unlike the Bushbots, they're smart enough not to take a bite when any potential client fish might be looking!
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