‘RUNNING’ FISH MAKE ANNUAL CALIFORNIA APPEARANCE
Kenny OngCONTRIBUTOR
by Kenny Ong in New Eco on Monday 21 July 2014
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Grunion are skinny, silvery, little fish that are only 5 to 6 inches (13 to 15 centimeters) long. As they’re not harvested commercially, they are rather MEH if it weren’t for the unusual way they spawn. The females shimmy back and forth on the shore to release a clutch of up to 3,000 eggs. The males then circle the females and release milt which flows down their bodies and fertilizes the eggs.
Their speedy exodus back and forth on the beach makes them look as if they’re running for dear life from afar and natives get a kick from taking out-of-town guests to see the night time spectacle, which occurs each year between March and August. There is simply no where else in the world that you see fish ‘running’ on land.
Via National Geographic