Anthias are often called the scuba divers friend. The main reason is that by looking at the direction these colourful and active fish are swimming you can easily tell which way the current is going, so when you want to explore a coral reef they can help make sure you drop into the water in the right place. However, these animals are even more amazing. Here are a few facts:
- Anthias live in a sort of harem is made up of one male and about 10-12 female fish.
- Anthias are protogynous hermaphrodite which means all individuals hatch as females. When a male dies one of the larger females changes her sex and becomes male. If there are too many males in a social group some of the males can reverse the sex change and revert to being females! #theoceanisamazing
- They are part of the Serranidae family of fishes which includes Groupers – one of their main predators!
- Anthias can live for around 3 to 5 years – as long as they don’t get eaten.
