{"id":24303,"date":"2023-02-08T14:38:00","date_gmt":"2023-02-08T13:38:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/?post_type=purple_issue&#038;p=24303"},"modified":"2023-02-13T10:13:47","modified_gmt":"2023-02-13T09:13:47","slug":"follow-the-crowd","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/2023\/02\/08\/follow-the-crowd\/","title":{"rendered":"Follow the crowd"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center sans-serif intro\">Striped marlin come together to feast on speedy schools of baitfish in the Pacific <\/p>\n\n<figure class=\"no-tts wp-block-image article-in-image photo\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1487\" src=\"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2023\/01\/8c10eeed-1097-4913-9144-0b8a1b147462.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"no-tts wp-image-24301\" srcset=\"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2023\/01\/8c10eeed-1097-4913-9144-0b8a1b147462.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2023\/01\/8c10eeed-1097-4913-9144-0b8a1b147462-300x218.jpg 300w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2023\/01\/8c10eeed-1097-4913-9144-0b8a1b147462-1024x744.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2023\/01\/8c10eeed-1097-4913-9144-0b8a1b147462-768x558.jpg 768w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2023\/01\/8c10eeed-1097-4913-9144-0b8a1b147462-1536x1115.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif dropcap\">SEARCHING FOR LIFE IN THE PELAGIC ocean is like finding a needle in a haystack and capturing an epic scene, such as the one pictured, can take many long days at sea without reward. A frantic gathering of seabirds near the water\u2019s surface, though, is a tantalising sign that a \u2018baitball\u2019 lies beneath, with frigatebirds and boobies picking at the fish in this corner of the eastern Pacific. <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">Cool upwellings deliver nutrients, drawing in teeming schools of mackerel and herring \u2013 and, with them, opportunistic predators. The swirling, sparkling masses employ a safety-in-numbers defensive strategy, but cunning striped marlin co-operatively herd them into tightly packed baitballs, using their 4m-long torpedo bodies and sword-like bills to strike the prey with deadly precision, before eating them whole. <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">At times, the marlin are joined by sealions, tuna, sharks and even whales \u2013 creating a spectacular feeding frenzy rarely glimpsed by human eyes. <\/p>\n\n<section class=\"wp-block-uagb-section uagb-section__wrap uagb-section__background-color uagb-block-4c03ea8b-c6c0-4ab7-bd4f-8b530935dd87\"><div class=\"uagb-section__overlay\"><\/div><div class=\"uagb-section__inner-wrap\">\n<h5 class=\"has-ccp-primary-light-color has-ccp-primary-dark-background-color has-text-color has-background\">MEET THE PHOTOGRAPHER <\/h5>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"no-tts wp-block-image article-in-image photo is-style-rounded\"><figure class=\"no-tts alignright size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2023\/01\/aa97455f-3530-4e24-965e-9e8737543d80.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"no-tts wp-image-24302\" width=\"199\" height=\"199\" srcset=\"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2023\/01\/aa97455f-3530-4e24-965e-9e8737543d80.jpg 459w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2023\/01\/aa97455f-3530-4e24-965e-9e8737543d80-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2023\/01\/aa97455f-3530-4e24-965e-9e8737543d80-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 199px) 100vw, 199px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"sans-serif article-subhead\">\u201cThe challenge is keeping up\u201d<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">\u201cMiraculously, we were able to safely swim alongside the marlin as they hunted within close quarters,\u201d says Devon-based underwater photographer Henley Spiers. \u201cThe greatest challenge is keeping up with the action. Often the bait is \u2018running\u2019, pursued at pace by the striped marlin. This image was captured in the brief seconds after dropping into the water.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n<p class=\"footer\">PHOTOS: HENLEY SPIERS\/NATUREPL.COM<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Striped marlin come together to feast on speedy schools of baitfish in the Pacific 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