Bigeye trevally

Photo: Joshua Rains · CC BY-NC

Bigeye trevally form spectacular bait-ball formations in open water above the reef at Mpunguti, a cooperative hunting strategy that confuses smaller fish prey into tight schools before the trevally make coordinated strikes. Schools of several hundred individuals are common in the early morning hours before dispersing to the reef edge by midday. Their large eyes give superior low-light vision used to hunt at dawn and dusk.