A fast fish with sharp teeth
A dentex is a kind of sea bream with big pointed teeth. It uses them to grab fish and sometimes squid or small animals such as crabs. A big dentex can swallow larger prey than a young one. One flick of its tail sends it racing after a fish. If the fish hides in time, the dentex has spent energy without getting a meal.
Where fish meet around the rock
A rock rises above the sand. Small fish can find food and shelter round it, and the current changes as it passes. Bogue swim near the top. Dentex pass the rock and the edges of nearby seagrass, so several can meet the same shoal. In some reserves, dentex spend a long time around the same rocks.
Are they all after the same meal?
One dentex darts forwards. The bogue turn and a second dentex goes after them. The two fish may have spotted the same chance to catch dinner. To see if they’re working together, watch whether one changes what it does when the other moves.
