Greater Amberjack

In the first few meters, as you swim along the coast, a silvery reflection passes above you. The fish is tall and compressed, its belly curves concavely and its lateral line forms strange undulations on the flank: it is an amberjack. First surprise, this great predator does not necessarily require going far or deep.

Very coastal, the species frequents shallow waters and can pursue its prey close to the surface. At adulthood, it feeds mainly on fish, particularly mullet and other small pelagic fish.

But a few months earlier, its appearance would have been almost unrecognizable. Very young amberjacks are golden and bear six to seven dark vertical bands on their flanks.

Their diet is also more varied: studies on juveniles show an important place for crustaceans and mollusks. As they grow, the bands fade, the golden color disappears and the body takes on the silvery livery that characterizes the adult.

Underwater, one thus encounters the culmination of a remarkable transformation: a small banded fish become a great coastal hunter. A change of angle, and its silvery flank already disappears into the reflections of the surface.