Fishing rods and suction dinners: the Hairy Frogfish
Updated: Feb 11, 2021
You would probably never think to describe a fish as hairy until you saw this week's Wacky Wednesday. These guys have an incredible method for eating prey and a bizarre body part that looks, and acts as a fishing rod! This week we’re discovering the Hairy Frogfish.
Scientific name: Antennarius striatus
Geographic location: tropical and subtropical oceans such as the Indian and Pacific Oceans
Distinguishing feature: hair-like bristles covering their bodies, known as spinules
Conservation status: Least concern
These little guys only grow to 22cm long and are known as a cryptic species. This means they don’t need big muscles, venom, or teeth to attack prey and predators but instead prefer stealth for defence and attack. With a range of colour patterns, frogfish are the chameleons of the sea, capable of changing their colour within a few weeks to blend in with their surroundings.
They often frequent shallow, sandy waters and coral reefs, providing them with a variety of crevices and corals to blend in with. Unfortunately, due to rising ocean temperatures and subsequent acidification, coral bleaching is rapidly changing the nature of the landscape within which they thrive. One such species of frogfish (Antennarius maculatus) has managed to overcome this by turning white to blend in with bleached coral. If they do get unlucky, and a predator tries to eat them they can swell their body with water, becoming a bloated water balloon that’s difficult to swallow!
The ‘hairs’ which give them their name are called dermal spinules, and are randomly and irregularly dispersed over their body. They have one long spike, known as a dorsal spine which arches over their head, with a lure attached to the end. When they move around, the appendage looks like a worm and attracts prey. When prey (which can be as big as the frogfish itself) are close enough, the frogfish opens its mouth and sucks them in at six-thousandths of a second. This is one of the fastest cases of eating in the entire animal kingdom.
This is one very strange and remarkable fish! Watch the video below, and wait until 1:20 to see it eat a fish as big as itself!
What would you like to see for next weeks Wacky Wednesday? Comment below!
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