This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 12th, 2008 at 11:28 pm and is filed under About, Adventure Cruises, History, Information, Sites, Snorkeling, Snuba. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Photos Courtesy Fishbase.org
This very bizarre fish is sometimes called ‘angler’ fish because of the modified ‘lure’ attached to the first dorsal spine on their heads, which is used to attract prey close enough to gulp in. They have a compressed body with a loose scaleless skin, according to Dr. Randall, and may also have wart-like protruberances. They have extremely large mouths and can gulp in a fish larger than themselves and are a very devious ambush predator. Their Hawaiian name, unfortunately, has been lost over time.
These fish also have pectoral fins shaped like little hands, with a limb-like elbow joints, their round gill openings just behind, making them look like clumsy old men moving around slowly on the reefs, sitting in waiting on corals or sponges. Their color is extremely variable, capable of changing to match their surroundings, (but limited to) red, yellow or black.
Getting a glimpse of these cute little animals (can reach up to 14 inches in length) is a treat, although it is usually SNUBA or SCUBA divers who get lucky enough to obtain pictures. Since they blend so beautifully, one must be extremely observant and not in a hurry. Coming to Maui? Please plan on getting wet. Take in a snorkel trip and hope to find the unusual. They’ll be waiting.
