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
Winter in Huangshan Mountains, China
Rapa Valley in Sarek National Park, Sweden
Badlands National Park, South Dakota, USA
Pacific sea nettles off the coast of Carmel, California, USA
Haut-Barr Castle, Alsace, France
The Painted Hills in the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, Oregon, USA
Cottonwood trees and red sandstone in Coyote Gulch, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Utah
A beer tent at Oktoberfest in Theresienwiese, Munich, Germany
Today on Bing
San Blas Islands, Panama
Jul 28, 2023
Carhenge, created by Jim Reinders, in Nebraska, USA
Jul 28, 2019
