KML Species Blog

I decided to pick the Carangoides bartholomaei, Yellow jack. While snorkeling at Long Key Point, a juvenile yellow jack decided to follow me around after I had picked up a piece of trash that was onto of a piece of coral. I started swimming back to the boat and noticed this little guy following very close to my hand, then over towards my shoulder, by my mask, and by my arm. If I stopped, he stopped (assuming male), if I dove down he rather went with me or came back when I started swimming. I got all the way back to the boat and handed off the piece of debris I found and told the people on board about my little friend and started off snorkeling around with him in tow. At first I wasn't sure if he was a yellow tail snapped, but he didn't have the right coloration or stripes and so I took many photos and some video (for identification) of him swimming along with me and almost letting me hold him in my hands! 

Turns out I was correct that he was not a yellow tail snapper but that he is actually a juvenile yellow jack! Apparently this juvenile species is known to be "hitchhiker" of snorkelers and sea turtles and will follow close to the mask and body. The area we were in is a seagrass meadow that provides habitat and protection for juvenile fish such as this yellow jack. Yellow jack are carnivorous fish and are considered as a fair to good table fish but has been known to carry ciguatera, so probably better as a hitchhiker to me then dinner! This behavior of hitchhiking is believed to be used as a disguise/distraction to ambush the yellow jack's prey (Mendonca, 2011).


**see below for photos, ignore time stamp on photos don't know how to fix on camera

References:

Pablo Mendonça, Alice Grossman, José Sabino and Manuel Haimovici (2011). Under sea turtles: yellow jacks, Carangoides bartholomaei, use swimming turtles as shelter in the tropical south-western Atlantic. Marine Biodiversity Records, 4, e72 doi:10.1017/S175526721100073X.