I know I keep bucking the trend with pictures from the Philippines but I am getting there with sorting them out and want to share my favourites! This is a hawkfish sat on some soft coral. These are great fish that pose well for photos... but they eat pygmy seahorses!
Nice shot on a great BG. Just back from Bali where I saw and photographed quite a few of these. This is the Blotched Hawkfish but I didn't know about them eating Pygmy Seahorses.
very nice Matt and I too enjoy seeing some exotic creatures. I'd personally be cropping some 10-20% off the top and the RHS to get in a bit tighter as for me the interest is in the clash of patterns and colours.
The common name depends what book you read from or what the locals call it. This one is the threadfin (C.aprinus), but may be called the blotched hawkfish elsewhere.
are these the same as shortnosed hawkfish? which we get in ecuador and the red sea, as opposed to the longnosed hawkfish which seem to be more common in both places. nice capture, i always struggle to get close to these skittish little creatures.
It's definitely not a long nose - they have more a a checkered pattern on them as well as the longer snout. Whether it's a short nosed I don't know - there are lots of similar looking hawkfish with noses as long as this. The giveaway clue on this picture to its species is the tiny threadfin coming off the first dorsal spine behind the cirri (the pompom-like tufts on the dorsal fin). If you have an ID book that lists a shortnose hawkfish then check the Latin name. If it is C.aprinus then that's the same one
Discussion
10 repliesPowershot A620, 1/60s, F3.2, flash.
But can you clear something for me ?.
Is the fish "sat" on its side, i.e shot taken from above.
Or is he "sat" on a ledge on the side of the coral i.e shot taken from the side(im guessing its this one).
Its hard to tell from the image.
Yes the fish is sat on a branch of the sea fan where pygmy seahorses might be found.
Matt
Regards Chris
www.c-m-l.com
Matt
are these the same as shortnosed hawkfish? which we get in ecuador and the red sea, as opposed to the longnosed hawkfish which seem to be more common in both places. nice capture, i always struggle to get close to these skittish little creatures.