“Circle of Life” from the exhibition – Expressions of the ocean

November 11, 2015

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An absolutely favorite piece in the show, this had people, stopping and staring. Some people found it hard to walk away, they remarked as they praised Chrisitan for this reenactment of an amazing daily event under the sea. A bait ball, or bait-ball, occurs when small fish swarm in a tightly packed spherical formation about a common center. It is a last-ditch defensive measure adopted by small schooling fish when they are threatened by predators. Small schooling fish are eaten by many types of predators, and for this reason, they are called baitfish or forage fish.
Small pelagic fish live in the open water, so unlike demersal or reef fish, they cannot hide among the kelp, or in crevices in coral, or under rocks on the bottom. This leaves them vulnerable to attack by large predatory fish, as well as other predators, such as marine mammals and seabirds.
As a result, small pelagic fish usually aggregate together in schools for protection. Schooling fish have evolved sophisticated evasion techniques. When they school they have
many eyes, which makes ambush difficult, and their silvery bodies dazzle, which makes it difficult for predators to pick out individual fish. A bait ball is a last-ditch defensive measure adopted by fish schools when they are overwhelmed and more effective defensive strategies have broken down.

Value $3500 On display at our home studio.

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