Over the past few months of diving, I have seen frogfish on 3 different sites in Puerto Vallarta. At Los Arcos, Islas Marietas and at Majahuita. Frogfish? Yes, it´s a cross between a frog and a fish! Yuck? No, they are so sweet and funny to watch and another wonder of the underwater world.
They are the masters of camouflage and an amazing example or how evolution can mould a species to survive in a given circumstance. The journey of marine creatures from egg to juvenile is not an easy ride, so it pays to have some tricks under your fins. This is where the frogfish champions.
Their camouflage is the key to their survival as they have to other weapons. No scales, no shell and no poison. Unlike most fish, they are not streamlined, but rather squat in shape, and they are not the best swimmers. They walk, or rather hobble around the coral or ocean bed on their frog like feet or move around by jet propulsion, sucking in water through their giant mouths and shooting it out of the gills on their legs. It is an ungainly sight to see, but mesmerising nonetheless. Their camouflage is so good they can hide themselves from other frogfish, which is useful, as they are cannibals!
Frogfish are also called Anglerfish for a good reason. They are great little fishers. They have a “fishing rod” on top of their heads with different lures (known as the esca) on the end of the “lines”. Some resemble worms and others look like nice little snacks. They wave them around to attract the attention of other fish. Once the fish gets close enough, they open their huge mouths so quickly (6/1,000 of a second, the fastest gape and suck of any fish in the world) it´s difficult to see what happened. As they have no teeth, they suck the fish in whole and digest within, no matter if the fish is bigger than itself! They are anything from 1 inch to 20 inches in length.
They can also change their colour and texture to match their surrounding perfectly, making them difficult to find. Once spotted though, you can often find them again as I have know some not move for 5 months. They are an underwater photographers dream as, not only are they stunningly beautiful, they pose motionless. They have “Muppet” like faces with downturned mouths, which doesn´t sound great, but coupled with the colours and textures, it makes them a divers favourite. The hairy frogfish is one of the strangest creatures I have ever seen. It is important not to disturb them or this will leave them open to prey.
Divers and underwater photographers will travel to the far ends of the oceans to see these creatures, so let´s hope they are settled and blossoming in the bay.
They are the masters of camouflage and an amazing example or how evolution can mould a species to survive in a given circumstance. The journey of marine creatures from egg to juvenile is not an easy ride, so it pays to have some tricks under your fins. This is where the frogfish champions.
Their camouflage is the key to their survival as they have to other weapons. No scales, no shell and no poison. Unlike most fish, they are not streamlined, but rather squat in shape, and they are not the best swimmers. They walk, or rather hobble around the coral or ocean bed on their frog like feet or move around by jet propulsion, sucking in water through their giant mouths and shooting it out of the gills on their legs. It is an ungainly sight to see, but mesmerising nonetheless. Their camouflage is so good they can hide themselves from other frogfish, which is useful, as they are cannibals!
Frogfish are also called Anglerfish for a good reason. They are great little fishers. They have a “fishing rod” on top of their heads with different lures (known as the esca) on the end of the “lines”. Some resemble worms and others look like nice little snacks. They wave them around to attract the attention of other fish. Once the fish gets close enough, they open their huge mouths so quickly (6/1,000 of a second, the fastest gape and suck of any fish in the world) it´s difficult to see what happened. As they have no teeth, they suck the fish in whole and digest within, no matter if the fish is bigger than itself! They are anything from 1 inch to 20 inches in length.
They can also change their colour and texture to match their surrounding perfectly, making them difficult to find. Once spotted though, you can often find them again as I have know some not move for 5 months. They are an underwater photographers dream as, not only are they stunningly beautiful, they pose motionless. They have “Muppet” like faces with downturned mouths, which doesn´t sound great, but coupled with the colours and textures, it makes them a divers favourite. The hairy frogfish is one of the strangest creatures I have ever seen. It is important not to disturb them or this will leave them open to prey.
Divers and underwater photographers will travel to the far ends of the oceans to see these creatures, so let´s hope they are settled and blossoming in the bay.
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