Frogfish (6 images)

[stuny]

Frogfish are among my favorite sea creatures. Their bodies are fairly amorphous, their camouflage strongly resembling hard coral or sponges, they are very territorial and seldom move, and when they do move it’s generally by “walking” on their pectoral fins. All this makes them both difficult to spot, and then difficult to perceive as vertebrates. They hunt by ambush, waiting for something small enough to swallow (which could be very nearly as large as they are since their mouths can open to epic proportions). When their prey comes close, they quickly open their jaws, instantly sucking in the prey in the slipstream of water. Some frogfish even dangle and move a lure near their mouths to attract prey (these subspecies are sometimes referred to as “anglerfish”). To paraphrase Peter Pak’s remark on my posting of ornate ghost pipefish photos (http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-...-5-images.html) even with my description he had difficulty finding the head and eyes. The key to comprehending the frogfish is to find its eye and mouth. I’ve made it easy for you with the fist one since it has its mouths open. The first is a clown frogfish, and it’s 15 centimeters long. Its mouth is at about 5:00 o’clock directly below what looks like a nose. The eye is to the left of the “nose”. The next one is a yellow giant frogfish which is about 40 cm long. Its mouth is closed and at about 3:00 o’clock, with the eye to the left of that. The next two are images of another giant frogfish, one from the side and one from head-on. The mouth is open, so you should have little difficulty with them. The last is a black clown frogfish, and this one is tough. Look for where the three light colored lines converge near 12:00 o’clock and you’ll have the eye. The mouth is left of that. I’ve also included an image of the camera kit I used for all my underwater photos on this trip.

[albert]

Stuart,

I have been self absorbed lately, please excuse my lack of posting.
Wonderful series of a hilarious creature. Talk about adaptation!
Thanks for the photograph of the gear.

Al

[roguewave]

Stu, this fish is almost as clever as you. Great work.

[stuny]

Al & Ben -

Thank you. And Ben, the frogfish comes by its cleverness naturally, while I have to work at mine.

[psquared]

Stuart,

These are just fascinating and wonderful pictures. Thank you for sharing these and for the explicit directions on where the eyes and mouth are.

Peter

[stuny]

Peter -

Thank you. In February 1992 when I saw my first frogfish I couldn't perceive it, not even when our dive master pointed to the eyes and mouth and then gently pet it.

[lightpainter]

Thanks, Stuart; a very nice series; for someone who is not into diving this is a welcome sight into this fantastic world, especially with a creature so innovative and creative as the Frogfish

[stuny]

Lightpainter -

Thank you.

[suilvenman]

Stuart,

Very beautiful images of a completely different world which, incredibly, has always been part, and, long before, the source of our own.

Cheers, Ken.

[carylwithay]

This a a first for me. I have never heard of or seen these creatures. Beautiful colors and interesting shapes. Thanks for the introduction to them.
Caryl

[echorec]

Excellent series indeed. Thanks also for sharing the information about the frogfish.

[stuny]

Ken, Caryl & Gunnar -

Thank you. The world under the sea is magical, and I encourage anyone who has the urge to go for it, but only after taking very high quality training on SCUBA from a reputable PADI or NAUI instructor.