See Speedy Fish Change Color Before Attacking

Marlins and sailfish are big predators in the sea and among the fastest swimmers. They sometimes hunt in groups, taking turns to catch sardines from a bunch. Now, scientists using new drone tech found something interesting about how they coordinate attacks without hurting each other. It’s all about their color.

The striped marlin can change its color. The drone footage showed that before attacking, the marlin’s stripes got brighter. After attacking, they went back to their usual color. Marlin have long, pointed snouts that help them catch prey. But in the warm waters of the Pacific and Indian Oceans, they can also harm other animals. They can grow up to 4 meters long and weigh between 113-204 kilograms.

Alicia Burns from Humboldt University in Berlin, Germany, said, “We saw rapid color change for the first time in striped marlins. They changed colors while hunting sardines in groups.” The researchers watched 12 videos of marlins hunting sardines. They had two different marlins in each video to compare their colors.

“We noticed that when a marlin attacked, it became much brighter than the other fish in the group. After the attack, it quickly returned to its normal color,” Burns added.

The researchers believe this brightening of stripes warns other fish in the group about the attack. This signal helps them avoid getting hurt by not joining in the attack. It’s similar to how tiny medaka fish darken before attacking other fish in the same tank.

Burns explained, “Predators changing color is rare, especially in those that hunt in groups. While we knew marlins could change color, this is the first time we’ve seen it linked to hunting or social behavior.”

The team wants to see if marlins change color when hunting alone and if they use their stripes in other social situations. They also want to study if other color-changing fish use their stripes in a similar way.

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