Dogtooth tuna

Photo: Mafia Island Diving · © all rights reserved

Among the fastest and most powerful predators on any Indo-Pacific reef edge, dogtooth tuna are misnamed — they are not true tunas but rather the only member of the tribe Gymnosardini, built for explosive pursuit predation around structure rather than open-ocean endurance. At Leven Bank they patrol the up-current side of the seamount waiting for baitfish schools to disorient in the upwelling, then strike in short bursts reaching 70 km per hour. Individual fish regularly exceed 100 kg and are revered targets for big-game anglers throughout the Indian Ocean.