Juvenile dorado Coryphaena hippurus
Photos from video clip by Erland von Maltzahn
These two photos, taken from a short video clip, show one of three juvenile dolphinfish or dorado. They were seen swimming near each other, always in the upright position shown. The dorado is one of the most popular gamefish, reaching 2 m and nearly 40 kg. Streamlined, fast fishes, the male develops a steep forehead, making it readily distinguishable from a female. The colour of live animals is always described as one of the most amazing sights within the fish world, with luminescent greens, blues and yellows, becoming more vivid when the animal is excited. Juveniles, as can be seen, are much more conservative. The sighting of a dorado by a diver is unusual, as it is an offshore pelagic fish, but juveniles are known to occasionally drift closer inshore, including into estuaries.
Smiths' Sea Fishes, MM Smith and PC Heemstra, 1986.