UPY 2019 Portrait - Third
Fabrice Dudenhofer
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UPY 2019 Portrait - Third
'Transgender Kobudai fish'
Fabrice Dudenhofer
A few years ago, I was watching the movie "Ocean" from Jacques Perrin. This is when I discovered about the Kobudai fish, also know as Asian sheepshead wrasse. I found this specie so bizarre that I thought it wasn't real. Then later, in Blue Planet II, I learned a lot about its behaviour and its transformation. Like many other fishes, Kobudai has sex-changing abilities. But this one goes to a complete change of appearance. Once the transformation is complete, one can not say that his features improved. Indeed, the Kobudai becomes larger than before, with a bulbous forehead, a huge chin and a more aggressive nature. Last summer when I knew at last that I could dive to see the Kobudai , I got really excited. It was off the west coast of Japan that I met this fascinating fish. And see with my own eyes how real it is!
Judge's comment: What a chin, what a forehead, what a character. This picture has portrait written all over it, and such a fascinating species ideally suited to this close focus wide angle approach.
Alex Mustard
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