Funky Fish |
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Kissing Fish
Kissing gouramis, commonly known as Kissing fish, have protruding
mouths and their lips are lined with horny teeth which they use to
scrape algae from stones and other surfaces. This scraping action,
which to us looks superficially like kissing, is also used by males
to challenge their rivals.
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Puffer Fish
The
Puffer fish is also known by a number of names; blowfish, swellfish,
globefish, balloonfish
and bubblefish! As well as it’s natural
defence mechanism of inflating to several times it’s normal
size this puffer fish, sharp-nosed puffer, also has a large spot
near it’s back fin. This resembles an eye and helps draw the
attention of predators toward the fish’s tail and away from
its head.
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Porcupine Fish
Porcupine fish are sometimes confused with Puffer fish as they also
have the defence mechanism of inflating their body by swallowing
water or air to become larger and round like a ball. They are closely
related but Porcupine fish also have the added protection of a spiny
covering which radiate outwards once the fish is inflated.
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Seahorse
Seahorses
are found in temperate and tropical waters all over the world and
can range
in size from 16mm to 35cm. Seahorses are unusual
as they are the only species where it is the male that becomes ‘pregnant’.
The male seahorse has a brood pouch in which he carries eggs deposited
by the female until they are ready to hatch. He then gives birth
to them by pumping his tail until the baby seahorses emerge.
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Flying Fish
There
are around 50 species of flying fish and they are found in all the
major oceans. Flying
fish can be easily identified by their
huge ‘flying fins’ and lopsided tails. These large pectoral
fins enable the fish to take short gliding flights through the air,
above the surface of the water, in order to escape predators.
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Scorpion Fish
The
Scorpion fish family is a large one with hundreds of members including
many venomous ones. They generally have a compressed body,
ridges and/or spines on the head as well as on their fins with venom
glands at the base of these spines. Often well camouflaged with tassels,
warts and colored specks, some can change their color to better match
their surroundings and even look like a piece of coral or sand covered
rock.
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Red Pigfish
The
Red pigfish can be found in Eastern Australia and New Zealand. Male
Pigfish are territorial
and will not tolerate another male coming
close. He will often defend his ‘harem’ of females to
the death and spends his time constantly patrolling looking for males
and trying to attract females!
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Batfish
Batfish are found in deep, lightless waters of both tropical and
subtropical oceans throughout the world. When seen from above they
may look like bats or probably more like splayed frogs! They have
a thin, retractable appendage on their heads that they deploy to
lure their prey and they can pose, like this rosy-lipped batfish,
to intimidate others.
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Atlantic Salmon
The Atlantic salmon is an anadromous migratory fish found in the
temperate and arctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Anadromous
means they are born in fresh water, migrate to the ocean, then return
to fresh water to reproduce. Myth has it that the fish return to
the exact spot where they were born to spawn, and modern research
shows that usually at least 90% of the fish spawning in a stream
were born there!
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