School of sea goldies in a coral reef with feather stars, Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, Australia
© Gary Bell/Minden Picture
A goldie gala
Is it ladies' night at the Great Barrier Reef? This brightly coloured school of sea goldies might be all-female. But that could change quickly: Sea goldies are protogynous hermaphrodites, meaning that when there aren't enough fellas around, the largest females change sexes to become male, turning purplish and growing even larger. All goldies are born female, but those that switch to males enjoy instantly better odds at mating time: For every male goldie there are up to 10 females.
Related Images
Humpback whales, Maui, Hawaii
Sea angel
Glass octopus in the Atlantic Ocean off Cabo Verde
Golden jellyfish in Jellyfish Lake on the island of Eil Malk, Palau
Blue linckia sea stars at New Ireland in Papua New Guinea
Baby lemon sharks swimming among mangroves near Alice Town, Bimini, Bahamas
Long-beaked common dolphin pod and diving Cape gannets hunting Pacific sardines off the Eastern Cape, South Africa
Florida red-bellied turtle in Rainbow Springs, Rainbow Springs State Park, Florida, USA
Today on Bing
Carhenge, created by Jim Reinders, in Nebraska, USA
Jul 28, 2019
