On Mon, 26 Jan 1998 11:57:31, Kurt Auffenberg wrote:
>
> I think that was the Shell Answer Man, actually.  The only guess I would
> venture on the elaborate spines would be protection against some fish.  If
> you sucked one of these porcupine-like things in your mouth, you'd probably
> spit it out pretty quick.  The spines wouldn't help with crabs, etc., I
> don't think.  Other species may have different ways to protect themselves,
> i.e. noxious odor or taste, microhabitat, behavior, etc.
>
> Kurt
 
My observations agree with Kurt's supposition.
 
First, although the subjects were fish, spines are defintely "hard-to-
swallow." A scorpionfish, during a dive off of Makua (where else!?),
was expectantly lurking near the only cluster of rubble for a hundred or
more feet in any direction. As I examined the undersides of various
pieces,
a number of squirrelfish (why they are called that, I have no idea) were
darting from one pile to the next, attemping to keep under cover.
 
One strayed too close to the Nohu (Hawaiian for this variety of
scorpion-
fish) and... SLURP!!, in it went. But,...
 
The squirrelfish have sharp and strong spines -- pectoral, caudal, and
dorsal. This one obviously set its entire compliment to lock-and-load
on the way into the Nohu's mouth. The Nohu only held the squirrelfish
for about 20 seconds and then coughed it out, fearing (if a fish can
fear)
for its own survival. The released fish held its spines full out for a
couple of minutes after getting away.
 
And, secondly, Kurt is right about the crabs. They have nothing to do
all
day but snap off spines, one by one by one... And then, CRUNCH!!
 
There is more to diving than picking up shells,... but shells are still
a really good reason to be diving.
 
Aloha,
 
makuabob (a.k.a. Bob Dayle)