Tool use by the orange wrasse Pseudolabrus luculentus and doubleheader Coris bulbifrons

摘要

The present study investigated whether temperate wrasses in a geographical location in the southern hemisphere break open crab prey on anvils. Here, tool-use behaviour is reported in two temperate wrasses, the orange wrasse Pseudolabrus luculentus and the doubleheader Coris bulbifrons, at Lord Howe Island, Australia. In addition to the previous observations of this behaviour, these findings suggest that tool use is common and may be ubiquitous, in medium-sized carnivorous wrasses that are undergoing an ontogenetic shift from soft-bodied to hard-shelled prey.