filefish
Sandpapery tropical fish
Filefish are tropical marine fish with rough, sandpapery skin—the texture that gives them their name.
They're related to triggerfish but have a more compressed body and a distinctive dorsal spine they can lock upright.
Most are small, with leathery skin once used as an abrasive.
We spotted a filefish hiding among the coral.
Spine-locking reef dweller
- leatherjacketCrane fly's immature stage
- boxfishAngular-bodied reef fish
- cowfishHorned, box-shaped marine fish
- trunkfishShell-encased marine fish
Swimming appendages
- scalesPlates or weighing devices
- gillsAquatic respiratory organs
- small mouthDiminutive oral opening
- dewlapHanging neck fold
Resembling animal hide
Marine skeletal formation
- anemoneTentacled polyp or bloom
- algaePrimitive aquatic photosynthesizers
- polypFleshy membrane projection
- biodiversityRange of life forms
ecosystem · habitat · symbiosis · lagoon · atoll · barrier reef · tropical · seagrass
Adaptive resemblance to another
- crypticObscure in meaning
- concealmentAct of hiding something
- color-changingAble to shift hue
- adaptiveAble to change accordingly
Of hot, humid regions
- tankmateAquarium cohabitant
- saltwaterOcean water, chemically speaking
- reef-safeNon-toxic to marine ecosystems
- feedingGiving food to
captive · brackish · acclimation · quarantine · diet · temperament · hobbyist
triggerfish
Spine-locking reef dweller
- leatherjacketCrane fly's immature stage
- boxfishAngular-bodied reef fish
- cowfishHorned, box-shaped marine fish
fins
Swimming appendages
- scalesPlates or weighing devices
- gillsAquatic respiratory organs
- small mouthDiminutive oral opening
leathery
Resembling animal hide
abrasive · bumpy · scaly · raspy · tough · coarse · prickly · granular
coral
Marine skeletal formation
- anemoneTentacled polyp or bloom
- algaePrimitive aquatic photosynthesizers
- polypFleshy membrane projection
biodiversity · ecosystem · habitat · symbiosis · lagoon · atoll · barrier reef · tropical · seagrass · sponge
mimicry
Adaptive resemblance to another
- crypticObscure in meaning
- concealmentAct of hiding something
- color-changingAble to shift hue
tropical
Of hot, humid regions
- tankmateAquarium cohabitant
- saltwaterOcean water, chemically speaking
- reef-safeNon-toxic to marine ecosystems
feeding · captive · brackish · acclimation · quarantine · diet · temperament · hobbyist
- filefish
- fishcod, salmon, bass, perch, eels
- marine lifeshark, sea turtles, manatees, whale, dolphins
- reef creaturesreef shark, moray eel, lionfish, grouper, triggerfish
- reef lifeanemone, sea anemone, anemones, brain coral, fire coral
- tropical fishclownfish, angelfish, butterflyfish, parrotfish, triggerfish