If you've ever scuba dove in California the odds are most definitely in your favor that you will see Garibaldi. Everywhere! Adult Garibaldi are bright orange in color and very easy to identify. Male Garibaldi are very protective of their nest and can be aggressive enough to go up to a diver and slap the divers face with their tails if they get to close.

Life Cycle

It takes 5 years for the Garibaldi to fully mature and Garibaldi have been known to live up to 20 years. They can also change their gender but most Garibaldi are male or unsexed.

Mating season is from March to July during that time the male Garibaldi will make a nest in the kelp that will allow him to care for anywhere from 100,000-190,000 eggs.

Garibaldi Eggs

In the nest he will leave three types of red algae that he has trimmed to about an inch tall in the nest to protect the eggs. He will make a clicking sound in his throat as well as swim in circles to let other female Garibaldi know that his both available and has a spot for them to lay. Females are very choosy, often visiting 15 nests or more before making up their minds. Multiple females will come and lay eggs in his nest if he is lucky.
If he is trying to attract a certain female and she is not interested because there are to many eggs in the nest already the Male Garibaldi will eat some of the eggs. This ploy may work but if no other females is in his nest interested, he just reduced his egg count.

After the eggs have been laid the female leaves and the male Garibaldi that built the next is left in charge of the eggs. The eggs hatch in 2-3 weeks depending on the water temperature.

Young Garibaldi

Home

They live mainly from Monterrey Bay, California all the way down to Magdalena Bay and the Guadalupe Islands, Mexico, But are not very abundant north of Santa Barbara. Translation= They like to live in water that is above 50 degrees.

Garibaldi Habitat

Food

Garibaldi like to eat sponges, algae, sea anemones, worms, custaceans, clams, and mussels, snail eggs and that grow around their rocky homes as well as small animals such as tubeworms, nudibranchs and bryozoans. Obviously there are not very picky eaters.

During mating season the male may and even eat eggs that have been laid in his nest, 200 at at time to make room for the female to, hopefully, feel comfortable and lay eggs in his nest.

Garibaldi in turn can be eaten by sea otters, and some sharks. They have also been found in the giant sea bass stomachs.

Name

In the 1840s, an Italian named Giuseppe Garibaldi decided to start wearing bright-red shirts as part of his personal style. He went on to fight for the reunification of Italy, became a general and died a national hero. So when biologists discovered a brilliant red-orange fish cruising the rocky reefs of California—one that sallied out to bare its teeth at any intruder—they knew exactly what to name it.

Giuseppe Garibaldi By: Sylvestro Lega 1826-1885

Conservation Status

For now the Garibaldi is safe and doing excellent in its native habitat.

Adult Garibaldi

Fast Facts about- Garibaldi

Scientific Name: Hypsypops rubicundus
Meaning: Hypsypops= High below high because of the high large eye; Rubicundus = red
Not and endangered species but protected both in the US and Mexico
They are non-migratory and reef based fish
Live at a depth of 0-30 m/ 0-100 ft.
Their diet of sponges may contribute to their orange color
The Garibaldi is the state marine fish of California.