Make love not war – Kissing fish are actually fighting

By Katy Gill

These fish have turned love into war.

The two spot wrasses appear to be locked at the lips in a beautiful embrace.

But in fact they are in a vicious fight over territory.

Pic by Atsushi Sadaki / Caters News

The video was shot by Japanese diver of 20 years Atsushi Sadaki, 59 off the coast of Lembeh, Indonesia.

Atsushi, a business design consultant, said: “The fish look like they are absolutely crazy about kissing.

“But this is not a beautiful love story. In fact it is a fight for territory.

 Pic by Atsushi Sadaki / Caters News

“Fighting scenes like this are rather rare. I watch these fish when I dive, and I have over 1000 dives under my belt, and it is the first time I saw something like this.

“It typically happens more in the mating season.

“They were fighting for a long time however, and I found it fascinating to watch.”