A School of Stars and Stripes Puffers

[TCTFish]

Here is a photograph I find amazing. Are they congragating prior to spawning? I never would have known these guys would hang out together otherwise. Any comments???

Photograph by Kevin Lee. More underwater photos can be viewed here:

http://photos.divebums.com/view_album.php?set_albumName=Kevin-s-UnderWater-images

 

[dskidmore]

Could they have been threatened by a predator?

 

[TCTFish]

Good thought, but would they have all been living that close to each other? That's the questionm I thought of. Those are adults. Juveniles may tolerate each other for a while, but I do know puffers are generally solitary animals holding and defending territory on their own. Some species are known to go into brackish water, such as lagoons to spawn...just as some FW puffers go into brackish water to spawn. Wondering if anyone here at AA knows of this of the stars and stripes puffer.

Still an amazing photo of something you don't see too often