Yellowfin bream, Acanthopagrus australis, reorientate individual shells in search of prey

Abstract

Yellowfin bream, Acanthopagrus australis (Family Sparidae), were observed, photographed, and filmed grasping and manoeuvring benthic objects, primarily bivalve shells, and also gastropod shells, pebbles, leaves, sticks and macroalgae while searching for prey, based on four consecutive snorkelling sessions in an eastern Australian estuary. Observations were made during daily high-tide periods when yellowfin bream are known to forage most intensively, and only a few of the bream present at the site exhibited the novel behaviour. The discriminate object-shifting behaviour of this important fisheries species represents a nuance in yellowfin bream feeding ecology and highlights an additional microhabitat role that oyster reef carbonate production plays beyond the immediate reef.