We encounter greater soapfish on many of our dives. They are almost never swimming around. Most of the time they are wedged inside or under reef structures. They appear to sleep during the day, and hunt at night. This might seem to make them vulnerable to predation during the day, but they secrete a toxic (soap-like) mucous that predators avoid. They get my vote for the laziest looking fish on the reef.
These fish were 8 or 9 inches long, and the photos were taken at depths of 15 to 40 feet.
 |
| Out in the open |
 |
| In a stovepipe sponge |
 |
| Under a coral rock |
 |
| Under a patch reef, and getting cleaned by gobies |
No comments:
Post a Comment