Bluefin Trevally

Photo: Rickard Zerpe · CC BY

Schools of bluefin trevally numbering 50 to 200 individuals circle the Ibo Pinnacles continuously, their electric blue colouring visible from 20 metres as they catch the light during coordinated turning movements. These highly social predators hunt collaboratively, with groups splitting to herd baitfish toward the pinnacle walls before converging to feed. Their iridescent blue pectoral and caudal fins are the result of structural colouration rather than pigment, producing a shimmering quality that changes with the angle of light — making every observation of a trevally school a slightly different visual experience.