• Photo by Rantje Allen

  • Photo by William Tan

  • Photo by Rantje Allen

  • Photo by William Tan

  • Photo by Rantje Allen

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Monthly Archives: February 2019

Dogtooth Tuna Video

Dogtooth tuna video recently shot in Gorontalo is now available for viewing.

Tuna on the Reef Edge

Although Gorontalo is famous for its Yellowfin tuna, the tuna that divers will most likely see here is Dogtooth. This tuna is one of the apex predators like Giant trevally and large groupers.  They eat smaller schooling fish that thrive off Gorontalo’s coral walls. These include fusiliers, fairy wrasses, scads and rainbow runners. As evidenced in the Dogtooth tuna video, these fish are curious about divers. As a result, they will often make several passes, giving time for visitors to get cameras ready.

Lucky Dogtooth Tuna Video

A prime dive site for viewing larger schooling fish is Buffalo Head Point.  It numbers among Gorontalo’s many submerged points. These points jut away from the cliff above water and away from the underwater coral wall. Moreover, this position interrupts the smooth flow of the area’s longshore current. When a strong current is running

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, schooling fishes will congregate off these submerged points.

On the day this Dogtooth tuna video was shot, the current was moderately strong. Also, the plankton count was high. Notice all the backscatter in the video. That is living plankton. As a result, schooling fish that feed on plankton gathered in abundance. Notice the Blue-and-yellow fusiliers in the video. This is the kind of fish that fast swimming Dogtooth tuna love to eat.

Although dive staff often see large fish in these conditions, everyone was surprised with the close encounter with schooling Dogfish tuna.

Tuna without Scales

The scientific name for Dogtooth tuna is Gymnosarda unicolor. Unlike other sarda, this one lacks scales. Hence its official name, since gymno means “naked” in Greek. This silvery fish is considered unicolor, in contrast to other tunas like Yellowfin or Bluefin. It sports a single, undulating lateral line.

dogtooth tuna video
A Dogtooth tuna cruises in Gorontalo

Divers can easily recognize this streamlined fish. It has white tips on its upper and lower back fins. The caudal peduncle also shows a white area. These white markings are clearly visible in the Dogtooth tuna video. Also

, notice that the fish’s upper jaw extends even with its eye. This fish swims with its mouth open, showing its many conical teeth.  

The average size of Dogtooth tuna that divers see swimming along Gorontalo’s coral walls is between 40 to 120 centimeters. Mature fish can measure up to two meters in length and weigh up to 120 kilograms. These swim in depths as deep as 300 meters. Miguel’s Diving staff estimate the larger ones seen in the Dogfish tuna video weighed about 50 kilos!

This tuna species lives in tropical waters of the Indo-Pacific region.

For your chance to see Dogtooth tuna in Gorontalo, please book your dive trip with us!

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