Waking up to the bright sun, fierce sea wind, and palm trees outside the window is definitely a privilege. After a great breakfast of eggs, bread, and beans, it was time to go to the wet lab! Based on our observations from yesterday, we decided to observe more parrotfish. It’s been really fun learning about the taxon in practice–theory can only go so far. But essentially, we decided to understand their feeding behaviors better. Parrotfish are known to eat off the bottom of shallow ocean floors, be it coral reefs or seagrass patches. Based on our observations, this could potentially mean them eating algae off of these patches or eating these things for sustenance specifically. 

So we decided to test it out! We split up into 7 different groups looking for four of the most common species we had spotted, including the Striped Parrotfish, the Stoplight Parrotfish, the Redband Parrotfish, and the Redtail Parrotfish. We then divided up by potential habitats the fish could be grazing in. Adam and I, along with Lily and Sohee, ended up taking seagrass to observe the parrotfish in. We were especially hoping to see the Redtail here, which is distinct in its grey and red coloration in its female, or initial phase. 

Our first site was a patch of seagrass right by the dock. Snorkeling here, we found tons of Striped Parrotfish surprisingly! These fish swam in groups of 6-10, nibbling on algae without any real damage to the material. This indicated them potentially feeding on algae in these areas. We then went closer to the aquarium, the series of shallow reef and seagrass patches interspersed with each other. In our second site, we spotted even more Striped Parrotfish. No redtail in site yet. Finally, our third site rolled around. This time, we also followed Dr. Evans and went closer to the edge of the reef and seagrass, rather than seagrass beds alone. Almost immediately, we saw some Redtail and even a Redband! With their dusky coloration, both were super skittish, grazing on grass before immediately hiding in the reef.

Analyzing our videos, Adam and I realized we weren’t going to be expert underwater photographers anytime soon. But the snorkeling was so much fun, made better by a nap on the bench outside my dorm. After, we had some really interesting talks by the manager of GRRS, a marine biologist on board, and some of the coast guards. Hearing about their work in person was super interesting, especially when the coastguard showed us their rifles and discussed their intense training. 

And that was the day! Stay tuned for more tomorrow!