School of sea goldies with feather stars, Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, Australia
© Gary Bell/Minden Picture
A goldie gala
It's ladies' night at the Great Barrier Reef: Their bright orange-pink coloration indicates these sea goldies are females. But that could change quickly: Sea goldies are protogynous hermaphrodites, meaning that when there aren't enough fellas around, the largest females change sex to become male, turning purplish and growing even larger. All goldies are born female, but those that switch to male enjoy instantly better odds at mating time: For every male goldie there are up to 10 females.
Related Images
Cumulus clouds over the Caribbean
Biorock artificial reef off the Gili Islands, Indonesia
Aerial view of the cherry laurel maze in Glendurgan Garden, Cornwall, England
Green sea turtle with sardines near Playa Grandi, Curaçao
Dr. Sylvia Earle explores Australia's Great Barrier Reef in a scene from 'Mission Blue'
A Brandt's cormorant hunts for a meal in a school of Pacific chub mackerel beneath an oil rig off the coast of Los Angeles, California
Manatees in the Ichetucknee River in Florida
A fossilized carboniferous fern
Bing Today Images
Yurts in the grasslands of Mongolia
Jul 28, 2025
Bathing huts on the beach in Skåne County, Sweden
Jul 28, 2024
San Blas Islands, Panama
Jul 28, 2023
Longs Peak in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado
Jul 28, 2022
Hamelin Pool Marine Nature Reserve in Australia
Jul 28, 2020
Close-up of a fly on flower stamens
Jul 28, 2017
Castelluccio in Monti Sibillini National Park, Italy
Jul 28, 2016
