Greater amberjack

Photo: Sébastien Lhoumeau · © all rights reserved

Greater amberjack patrol the open water above Monte da Guia in loose packs, using the volcanic structure as a reference point for hunting. Among the fastest sustained swimmers in temperate Atlantic waters, they cooperate to herd smaller fish into tight bait balls against the surface. The dark stripe running through their eye, characteristic of the genus, is thought to reduce glare during surface hunting — a functional adaptation analogous to an athlete's eye black.