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In the video we see a sequence of several freediving encounters made with the Brown meagre or Corb, Sciaena umbra. We have filmed this splendid fish many times and we will never tire of posting other encounters given the beauty of this species of Scianidae endemic to the Mediterranean Sea.
Sciaena umbra Brown meagre Corb Corvina intotheblue.it
In this collage of various meetings made from June to the end of August 2021, always in the same hole, I came to film the Corbs more and more at close range. Somehow I managed to get accepted by these fish, who somehow accepted my presence and in the last dives of the end of summer we had become friends, decreasing more and more the distance, until we were able to film them a few centimeters without frightening them. and make them escape to the shelter of their lair.
Sciaena umbra Brown meagre Corb Corvina intotheblue.it
In fact, these fish are an extremely social species that lives in tight groups of a dozen or more individuals but are usually very shy and distrustful of the diver, almost always escaping at the scent of the slightest presence of man. It is practically impossible to get close with the cylinders since the air bubbles emitted by our regulators create noises and vibrations that disturb the ravens like many other fish.
However, as we see from the images, things change if we dive in freestyle apnea and if we are not too aggressive and intrusive, the ravens become curious and will let us admire their splendid colors and reflections which are among the most beautiful of the Mediterranean Sea.
Sciaena umbra Brown meagre Corb Corvina intotheblue.it
Brown meagre or corb (Sciaena umbra) is a species of croaker found in, the eastern Atlantic, Mediterranean Sea and Black Sea occurring in shallow waters and sandy bottoms. It is harvested for human consumption, especially in the Mediterranean.
Distribution
The brown meagre is found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean from the southern English Channel south to Senegal and Cape Verde, including the Canary Islands, records from West Africa south of Senegal are questionable. Also in the Mediterranean Sea, the Black Sea and Sea of Azov.
Description
Brown meagre is between 30 and 40 cm in length but can grow to 60 cm. It has a flat belly and its strongly arched back which give it an easily recognisable shape, the body is laterally compressed and the large, horizontal mouth reaches the level of the eye and contains villiform teeth. The anal and pelvic fins are black with an anterior white border. Both dorsal fins and the truncate caudal fin, are yellow with a black border. The body is grey with flashes of gold and silver. The scales are ctenoid on the nape and the body while the head scales are cycloid.
Sciaena umbra Brown meagre Corb Corvina intotheblue.it
Behaviour
It is a rather nocturnal fish but it can occasionally be found during the day among beds of sea grass and on rocky bottoms in the vicinity of caves or large crevices where it can shelter. This species is social and lives in small groups. It feeds off the small fishes and crustaceans. They are capable of creating sound using some muscles under their well developed swim bladder. This is their way of communication since they have a very good hearing ability. They can manage their buoyancy perfectly. The spawning period is from March to August in the Mediterranean.
https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sciaena_umbra
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_meagre
