This fish is named after a 19^th century Italian leader, Giuseppe Garibaldi. Why? Garibaldi took up a fashion for wearing orange/red shirts. Later this orange/red shirt became his army’s uniform. This vibrant colored fish was photographed at Catalina Island off the coast of California. As a diver, these fish are hard to miss against the dark background of the kelp forest. They tend to be approachable, and sometimes curious. In some cases, if you encroach on their nesting area, they can become aggressive. In this case, I was calmly hovering in the water column, not moving. The garibaldi swam right up to me to take a look, out of curiosity. I was looking back at it with the same curiosity. 

Not only are the kelp forests protection for the garibaldi, they are also a source of food. As a juvenile fish, they have vibrant blue spots that eventually fade and disappear with age. The garibaldi will grow to ~15 inches in length. What do they eat? Garibaldi will eat the sponge and algal growth around its territory. Garibaldi are very aware of their boundaries, and can become aggressive if others invade their territory. They are known to remove sea urchins and starfish from their territory. They are even territorial when it comes to mating. After a male garibaldi attracts a mate to his nest and she lays eggs, the male will chase the female off. He will then fertilize the eggs and defend the area fiercely. Males aren’t the only territorial ones; the female garibaldi will eat other female’s eggs.