The Glitterfish

  Little fish in aquariums are usually brightly colored and have frilly fins. This visual appeal has made the critters prime targets for people wanting "wildlife" in their homes.  Sorry Folks, this is not anything to do with how life really is in the Bayou.  Most of the small fishes that live in the murky waters are just that...murky.  They usually are just mud-colored and this is for a reason.  Their coloring is camouflage that helps them to escape becoming supper for some larger critter.  The Bayou's waters are usually muddy and shadowed by the marsh grasses so any shading on the fish usually mimics the sun-blotched water.   This is all fine and dandy as far as being a protective measure but what happens when you WANT to call attention to yourself?  At certain times of the year, male fish do, indeed, want to call attention to themselves. They need to attract females so the whole species can carry on existing.  But, when you think about it, mud is not the prettiest, nor flashiest, of colors and when that is all you have, something has to give.  

  I was on the pier the other day hoping to catch a glimpse of the baby alligator once again.  While there, I noticed that the tidepool near the pier was thick with assorted minnows and little fish.  I watched with curiosity as they would circle in schools before several would literally jump out of the water.  Ahhh, the rivalry of males over the many females was taking place.  How, you may ask, did I know that these were males? Well, I knew by their bright, metallic blue scales adorning their backs. During mating season, the males of some of the minnows, a type of killifish, morph a bit and acquire a patch of brightly colored blue scales. These scales glint in the sunshine and attract the females but, being male, the critters have to show their prowess and battle any other male in the territory.  The fight is all a huge show which is also aimed at the females of the species (as if those sparkly scales were not enough!). Several years ago, I had a niece dub these fish as "Glitterfish" which is quite the appropriate name!

   The killifish continued their courtship ritual all afternoon with the males doing sort of faux battles and the females swimming in circles.  It was almost mesmerizing to try and catch a glimpse of the blue flashes but all too soon, the sun started to set and their powers ceased. Although we have a full moon, I opted to not stay on the pier just to see if the scales sparkled at night by moonlight.  The little Glitterfish would just have to entertain themselves.