School of squirrel fish (Myriprostos murdjan) inside the hold of an unknown wreck in Manokwari harbour. Squirrel fish are nocturnal predators that tak

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School of squirrel fish (Myriprostos murdjan) inside the hold of an unknown wreck in Manokwari harbour. Squirrel fish are nocturnal predators that take shelter during the day in caves or in the holds of ships wrecks. The red colour of the fish appears very bright when using strobes, but because red is the first part of the spectrum that is absorbed by water, in natural light, the fishes' colour renders them invisible. During World War Two, West Papua was the scene of fierce battles after the Japanese forces occupied the area and threatened routes to Australia. There are many wrecks in areas such as Manokwari and Biak that have yet to be accurately identified. All have become havens for life. Photographed in West Papua, Indonesia, Asia.

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Size: 2848px × 4288px
Photo credit: © MATTHEW OLDFIELD/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: animal, asia, asian, bony, fauna, fish, harbour, indonesia, manokwari, marine, murdjan, myripristis, nature, nocturnal, papua, pisces, predator, predatory, schooling, shipwreck, squirrel, swimming, tropical, underwater, west, wildlife, zoological, zoology