Spotted Sweetlips

Photo: Erik Schlögl · CC BY-NC

Spotted sweetlips aggregate in groups of 10 to 30 individuals at specific overhangs on East Wall, their distinctive white-and-brown spotted adult colouration contrasting with the darker wall behind them. Juvenile sweetlips at Netrani display a completely different colour pattern — large white spots on dark brown with an undulating swimming motion that mimics a toxic flatworm, providing predator protection — and can be found in shallower reef sections. Adults gather at the same overhangs day after day, making them one of the most reliably photographed species on the wall.