HOGFISH TIME - In Belize
Hey went spearfishing with my two best buds yesterday in Belize, (Dennis Matus & Randy Smith).  Randy missed it, but I got him!!!!  A big male Hogfish.  It was a great experience, I truly love spear fishing.   This is one of my favorite fish to catch,  because it tastes so good. 

The Hogfish is a species of fish, which belongs to the Wrasse, family. The Hogfish is one of the larger species of wrasses and is very abundant here in Belize.

The Hogfish has a very elongated snout which it uses to search for crustaceans buried in the sediment. Interestingly it is from this very long “pig-like” snout and its rooting behavior, that the Hogfish gets its name.

A prominent black spot behind the pectoral fins, differentiates male from females. The dorsal fin, usually is composed of three or four long dorsal spines followed by a series of shorter dorsal spines.

A very interesting fact about this fish..........a Hogfish, can change sex during different life stages in its life.. A Hogfish can start out as a female juvenile and then after a certain age mature to become a male. The change usually occurs around 3 years of age and about 14inches in length.

Males are signified by their coloration and have a deep dark band spanning from their snout to the first dorsal spine as well as the lateral black spot behind the pectoral fins. Hogfish reach a maximum size of about 3 feet and approximately 22 pounds and have been recorded to live up to 11 years.

I have one female and one male Hogfish in the picture above.  These are going to make good eaten tonight!  Crank up the stove and put the drinks in the refrigerator mom - we've coming home!

JACANA SIGHTING - Jesus Christ Water Walker
There are eight species of this lively little lily-pad trotter, only one of which resides in the marshes, ponds and other waters of Belize.  Also known as the Jesus Christ bird (for walking on water), Jacana's live wherever there is floating aquatic plants thrive. 

The Northern Jacana is known by many of the locals as either the "Georgie Bull" or the "Jesus Christ" bird.  It hops daintily from lily pad to lily pad with its long and spindly toes in search of water bugs, tiny fish, or small mollusks.  It stalks the water hyacinth and steals its seeds.

This slender bird attains a top-to tail length of 9"-10".  It is cinnamon red with a vivid yellow forehead shield on its black head and yellow-greenish patches on its wings.  With neck extended and long legs dangling, as it flies it flashes the yellow under pinion of its rounded wings.  As it alights, it stretches high its wings before folding them neatly behind its back, tucking in the spurs at the crook of its wings.

The inmature jacana is gray-brown above and whitish below, with a distinctive wide white stripe above the eye. 

Jacana's are eminently noisy!  Along with the Jacana's generally charming appearance goes a voice with many songs - most of them raucous.  In argument with its fellows, it chatters and chuckles.  In flight it makes a sharp cackle.  It calls out with a single, rasping note or emits a plaintive whistle.  In some respects, it resembles the sound of a  portable typewriter.

The breeding season is April and May.  As a nest, the Jacana uses a floating platform it has contrived of stems and reeds; upon this thin, flat, flimsy surface it lays as many as four eggs.  Each spotted and speckled in excellent imitation of the next. 

It is the male Jacana which does most of the egg-sitting (or babysitting), a matter of 22-24 days and, when the eggs have hatched, the male Jacana will continue baby-sitting, his little chicks.   

Look for the Jacana, at the footbridge on Bird's Isle - here in Belize.