Ambush Predator

  Frog fish, family Antennariidae, are a type of angler fish in the order Lophiiformes. Frog fish have a stocky appearance, atypical of most fish. Ranging from 2.5-38cm (1-15 inches) long, their plump, high-backed, non-streamlined body is scaleless and bare, often covered with bumpy, bifurcated spinules. Their short bodies have between 18 and 23 vertebrae and their mouths are upward pointed with palatal teeth. They are often brightly colored, white, yellow, red, green, or black or spotted in several colors in order to blend in with their coral surroundings. Coloration can also vary within one species, making it difficult to differentiate between them.

     The unusual appearance of the Frog fish is designed to conceal it from predators and sometimes to mimic a potential meal to its prey. Frog fish generally do not move very much, preferring to lie on the sea floor and wait for prey to approach. It's hard to spot a Frogfish. But if you find one once, you will be likely to see it again at the same place for months. To see Frogfish at the Similans you need an experienced dive guide with good eyes. To see Frog fish you need to have good eyes yourself too. Often the dive guide may try to show Frog fish to the divers in the group, but the divers can not make it out because it's very well camouflaged.

     Did you know, Frog fish can also expand their stomach to swallow animals up to twice their size?
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