Jim Landrith's Panama - Flying Gurnards Mating Pair, San Blas Archipelago, Panama

I was staying on the small atol owned by Ina, a Kuna native within the Comarca Kuna Yala autonomous region of Panama off the Caribbean coast and took a long snorkel tour, circumnavigating the island.

I took this video and several still pictures of a pair of fish, which appeared to be involved in a courtship. The pair had a dramatically different appearance when their fan-folding pectoral fins were tucked against their bodies. While engaged with each other, they were splayed out like an "X".

Aside from the dramatic fan-folding fins, there were also small paddle-shaped forefins which they deployed in the courtship, appearing to dust or sweep the sand in response to one another. As they progressed along the bottom, I noticed that they were also capable of changing color to a dramatic degree; from sandy speckled grey, to dark green when over sea grass. In those stills showing the darker coloration, the courtship fins appear to be folded away, neither in the "X" pattern, nor the fully-opened display. Eventually, they made their way off as I had to clear a leaky mask and lost them in the distance.

That night, I was invited to share a drink with the island's owner, Ina, and I showed him the video of the fish. He was as astonished as I was; he was adamant he had never seen anything like it, nor had he heard of anything like it in his life.

His assistant, right-hand-man was also completely surprised by the fish.

I hope someone can help me identify the species as it is unlike anything I've ever seen or heard of.

-James Landrith

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• James Landrith
• Comarca Kuna Yala
• FanFish
• Ina's Island
• San Blas Islands
• Fish Courtship

[jllandrith]

Description added per your reqest, Dan'l.

[danhunt5002]

I hope you find time to add a description, Jim. What kind of fish are those? Amazing the way it made a circle with its fins. And they seem to be a mated pair?