Brown Meagre

Photo: Falk Viczian Solarboot-Projekte gGmbH · CC BY-NC

Brown meagre are strongly associated with cave and overhang habitats throughout the Mediterranean, and the Lefkada sea caves provide ideal shelter for resident groups of this soniferous species. They produce audible drumming sounds using their swim bladder during the breeding season from spring through summer, a sound that is sometimes detectable by divers. As a protected species in several Mediterranean nations, their abundance here is an indicator of the caves' undisturbed character.