Transcript:

Today on Animal Fact Files we’re talking about barramundi. All right, look, knowing my luck with terrible pronunciation, I’m probably saying this wrong, but I think it’s a fun word and I’m just gonna roll with it. If you hate it, I’m sure you’ll tell me all about it in the comments. Barramundi are also known as Asian sea bass, but that’s not as fun. These large fish are found in the Indo-Pacific region of the world. Though this map makes it look like they’re all connected, in reality some groups are separated. This separation from one another has led to the hypothesis that this one fish species may need to be split into different species. Technically that’s how species come about. If a population of animals gets split, let’s say by a mountain range, then over time they’ll adapt to the different conditions present in the separate environments and eventually become genetically distinct from one another. And then BOOM! New species. So, even though these fish are currently classified as a single species, they may be split into multiple species in the future.

Aside from being split into populations, individual populations are also somewhat split up! This is because barramundi live in different areas depending on their stage of life. These fish are able to tolerate changes in salinity, so not only are barramundi found in saltwater, they also live in brackish and even freshwater! These do need to be gradual changes, though.

Barramundi begin their lives as eggs in coastal saltwater habitats. These eggs are produced by males and females who come together and partake in broadcast spawning during a full moon night at low tide. The breeding season for barramundi occurs from late September to early March, and female barramundi may have millions of eggs to release. High tide will bring the fertilized eggs closer to shore, pulling them among the safety of shore vegetation. After fertilization the eggs hatch within a day! The young barramundi will grow quickly and remain in salt and brackish water estuaries for most of their first year, but slowly they’ll make their way up into freshwater rivers. They’ll stay in these freshwater rivers for up to five years. Barramundi prefer habitats with sunken logs and overhanging vegetation in which they can hide. Like the tigerfish we’ve discussed previously, barramundi are aggressive hunters and eat many smaller fish as well as crustaceans and even birds if they can catch them. There’s actually thought that barramundi leave coastal areas in order to avoid the larger barramundi living there because these fish will eat each other if given the opportunity. They can also be taken by pelicans, snakes, and crocodiles.

Once they’re old and big enough, the barramundi will join up with the other adults back at the coast. Here they’ll spend a few years breeding as males, but as they increase further in size, they’ll transition into females. Yes, somewhat similar but opposite to the parrotfish we’ve discussed previously, barramundi change sex during their lifetimes. In fact, the largest barramundi, those who reach more than a meter (3.3 feet) in length, are almost guaranteed to be females. They’ll spend the rest of their lives as ladies in marine coastal waters. In general, throughout all their life stages, barramundi are considered demersal, meaning they spend most of their time near the bottom of the water column though not actually touching the sediment. In the wild, it’s believed they can live to be at least a decade old.

For more facts on barramundi, check out the links in the description. Thank you to The Trout Slayer for today’s request. Give a thumbs up if you learned something new today, and thank you for watching Animal Fact Files.