Pink maomao facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Pink maomao |
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The pink maomao (Caprodon longimanus) is a type of fish that lives in the ocean. It is also known as the longfin perch. This fish is part of the same family as groupers and sea basses. You can find it in the southern Pacific and southeastern Indian Oceans.
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What Does It Look Like?
The pink maomao has long, pointed fins on its sides, called pectoral fins. These fins are even longer than its head! It also has a long fin on its back, called the dorsal fin. Its tail fin is slightly forked, like a "V" shape.
The dorsal fin has 10 stiff spines and 19-21 soft rays. The fin on its belly, called the anal fin, has 3 spines and 7-9 soft rays. The fish also has a special line of scales along its side, called the lateral line. This line helps it sense movement in the water.
Female pink maomao fish are usually a pretty purplish-pink color. Males are similar, but they might have dark spots on their backs and sides. Male fish also have yellowish fins on their back, tail, belly, and sides.
The biggest pink maomao ever recorded was about 55 centimeters (22 inches) long. But most of them are around 28-30 centimeters (11-12 inches) long. They usually weigh about 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds), but some can grow up to 2 kilograms (4.4 pounds).
Where Do They Live?
Pink maomao fish live in the southeastern Indian Ocean, near Rottnest Island in Western Australia. They are also found in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. This includes the waters off eastern Australia, from Coffs Harbour to Bermagui in New South Wales. You can also find them around Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island in the Tasman Sea.
Further south, they live near the Kermadec Islands and down to D'Urville Island and Kaikoura in New Zealand. In the southeastern Pacific, they are found around Easter Island, the Juan Fernandez Islands, the Nazca Ridge, and Isla Salas y Gómez. There have also been reports of them in the Hawaiian Islands.
Habitat and Life
Pink maomao fish live near reefs close to the shore. They can be found both near the seafloor and swimming in the water just above it. They like to eat tiny swimming creatures called zooplankton. They also live on the outer edge of the continental shelf and around underwater mountains called seamounts.
Scientists studied the stomach contents of pink maomao fish in the Juan Fernandez Islands. They found that these fish eat whatever food is available. The most common food they found were small, jelly-like animals called salps. But they also ate many different types of tiny crustaceans, as well as other small sea creatures.
During the day, pink maomao often swim together in groups, called schools. Sometimes, they even mix with other fish like silver trevally, yellowtail horse mackerel, and blue mackerel. When night comes, they go back to rocky areas to rest.
Reproduction and Life Cycle
Pink maomao fish are special because they are protogynous hermaphrodites. This means they are all born as females. As they get older, some of the females can change sex and become males. Young pink maomao fish are not seen very often. This suggests that they might not breed very often or in large numbers.
Fishing for Pink Maomao
The pink maomao has thick, white meat that tastes very good. People who go spearfishing often try to catch them. However, they are not caught very often by people fishing with lines. In New Zealand, there are rules about how many pink maomao fish you can catch.
