Frogfish

Hello,this is Wild Suzhou. Today, wewill be talking about frog fish, which refers to any member of a family offish, Antenariidae. They are a type of anglerfish, and are found in shallowtropical and subtropical waters. First,frogfish are very small. They look like squatting frogs, which is where theygot their name from. The largest only grows to be around 30 centimeters. Theyare round, lumpy fish, with large mouths. Most species of frogfish have pricklyskin, too. They have specialized front fins, which look like legs and also letthem walk along ocean floors looking for food. Frogfishare excellent when it comes to disguise, and have multiple ways of stayingconcealed, from both enemies and prey. Some species, like Commerson’s frogfish,have roughly textured skin that resembles coral, and can even change the colorof this skin to match their surroundings. The psychedelic frogfish has strikingyellow, brown, and white stripes that help it blend in with another kind ofcoral. The hairy frogfish has long, waving appendages that look like plants.This camouflage is extremely effective in hunting prey, since small fish andanimals can swim by the frogfish, unaware that they are about to get eaten.This is called aggressive mimicry, since the frogfish mimics, or pretends to bepart of its surroundings so that it can attack its prey more effectively. On top oftheir wonderful camouflage, you have to remember that frogfish are a type ofanglerfish, which means they have a special type of fin on their head, calledan illicium, that acts like a fishing rod. This fishing rod has a “bait” orlure on it, which can look like a small fish or worm, like a bait that afisherman would use to catch fish. Sea animals are attracted to this lure, andwhen they get close enough, the frogfish swallows them whole. They swallowtheir prey so fast that it can’t be seen with the human eye. Sometimes, thestill living fish can be seen moving around inside their stomach before itdies. For WildSuzhou, I’m Ciana, thanks for listening and see you next time.