Description: This is a behaviour where groups of small juvenile wrasse (5-6cm) swim in shoals and can be seen together feeding on the rocky sea bed. These busy shoals move rapidly from rock to rock, which is another way of saying that they do not hang around to be photographed. The shoals are often a mixture of species, with Painted Wrasse usually the commonest, but Five-spotted, Ornate and Rainbow wrasse are often in attendance. This may only occur in the late summer and autumn when juveniles of these species are commoner. Such shoals are frequently seen in the shallows at many sites. The video clip shows a wrasse feeding group, responding to the top of a boulder being scraped by a snorkeller.

Text: Bob Earll
Photo: Bob Earll
Video: Bob Earll