SARCASTIC FRINGEHEAD More Life
Video: Watch mudskippers fight over territory.
Interact: Explore the anatomy of a flying fish. HowStuffWorks: What causes a shark feeding frenzy? BULLY IN A BOTTLE
Psychologists who study personal space would love the sarcastic fringehead. This small, scrappy fish found along the Pacific Coast from San Francisco to Baja California, Mexico, maintains a relatively small zone of personal space around its home, usually a shell, a can or a bottle. When an intruder invades that space, the fringehead attacks fearlessly and aggressively, baring its teeth and snapping its jaws. The threats are not hollow. If the elaborate display doesn't drive the intruder away, the fringehead will use its needle-sharp teeth to deliver a more persuasive message.
TENACIOUS TERRITORIES
Why invest so much time and energy into keeping away unwanted solicitations? Because in the fringehead's preferred habitat — on sandy or muddy ocean bottoms just beyond the breaker zone — competition for resources is fierce. To ensure they get their fair share of food and space, fringeheads stake out a territory that they can realistically defend. If another animal wanders into this area, the fringehead assumes its food supply is at risk and rushes out for a confrontation.
If you're wondering if all this fuss is really worth it, consider the diet of sarcastic fringeheads. They eat small crustaceans, such as shrimp and crab. Some scientists estimate they consume almost 14 times their body weight per year. That's a lot of shrimp cocktail — and a good reason not to let one scrap of food get away. If fringeheads didn't make that investment to defend their territory, they might lose a few meals, which would compromise their ability to survive.
TRESPASSERS, BEWARE
Most of the time, fringeheads battle each other. When two fringeheads square off, each opens its mouth wide and flares out its jaw to create an intimidating threat display. This continues until one of the two combatants retreats. Other animals are challenged just as ferociously. In the "Fish" segment of Life, you can watch a sarcastic fringehead run off a trespassing octopus. Even divers have been known to draw the ire of these bony fish.
Beyond their pugnacious personality, fringeheads aren't particularly remarkable. They may grow to be about 12 inches (30 centimeters) in length and have long, slender bodies. A dorsal fin extends from the rear of the head almost to the tail fin and is decorated with a metallic-blue spot surrounded by a yellow ring. The color of sarcastic fringeheads is usually brownish-gray, sometimes tinged with red or green blotches.
Written by William Harris, HowStuffWorks
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