Early this afternoon, I took a break from painting the arbor that Son just built. It is a fine arbor that is to replace the termite-ridden one. Painting anything around here always seems to be my job. I do not mind but this afternoon, I needed a break from the ladder so the pier called. While there, I noticed that the tide was really low. In fact, what we call "The Cut" (a small inlet) was completely empty. Only a few small puddles remained on the mudflats but those puddles were teaming with minnows. The bull minnows (Gulf Killifish) had obviously hatched a few days back and were happily enjoying the warm weather until the north wind pushed the tide far out from shore. Now they were stranded in tiny puddles. There was no exit to larger bodies of water and this put them in extreme danger. The little minnows were trapped and were literally "sitting ducks". Any birds that wanted a quick and easy meal could catch its fill in a matter of minutes. It is amazing that any survive these low tides.
Gulf Killifish are resilient little critters. They usually live in the brackish waters but can easily adapt to fresh or salty water. As in their case today, they can also adapt to live in hardly no water! In fact, those that get stranded on the mudflats will simply wiggle down beneath the sloppy mud and wait for the tide to come in again. The fish can go for hours on end hovering just beneath the mud. Another strange fact that shows their hardiness is that often after a female lays her eggs, they become stuck to marsh grass. If the tide goes out (like the past few days), the eggs are suspended with no water. They can last for up to two weeks and still be viable! When the tide does fill the marsh again, the eggs are able to hatch and the baby fish show no ill effects from being high and dry.
It was good to see so many baby bull minnows in the puddles today but I hope that they survive. These little fish are good for our health. One of the most important parts of their diet is the mosquito larva. A single adult killifish can devour hundreds of mosquito larvae in a day. Not only is this highly important in view of the disease that mosquitoes can carry but, for any of us living around here, it means a few less mosquitoes to aggravate us. We owe a big thank you to this tiny fish!
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.
