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| Semicossyphus pulcher The body of the California sheephead is elongate, robust, and compressed. This species is a "protogynous hermaphrodite"; meaning that it begins life as a female, but then becomes a male later in life. Females mature at about 8 inches in length when they reach 4 to 5 years of age. Most females transform to males at a length of about 12 inches at 7 to 8 years of age. This sex change is accompanied by a marked change in appearance. Younger fish (females) are a uniform pinkish red with a white lower jaw. As they age and become males, the head and rear third of the body turns black, the midsection of the body remains red and the lower jaw remains white. In all stages of their development, sheephead have unusually large dog-like teeth. |
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| PHOTOGRAPHER: Johnny Wong | CAMERA: Canon EOS-1D Mark II | DATE: 5/5/06 1:19 PM | ISO SETTING: 400 | EXPOSURE TIME: 1/40s | APERTURE: 5.6 | FOCAL LENGTH: 33.0mm |
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