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File this Fish with the Shy Group
File this Fish with the Shy Group
File this Fish with the Shy Group
Ebook32 pages9 minutes

File this Fish with the Shy Group

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Filefish have a protruding mouth with some very sharp teeth, similar to a triggerfish. They have narrow, compressed bodies with rough spiny scales and a front dorsal fin that can be raised or lowered. When the fin is raised, it resembles a file, which some reference sources say is the inspiration for the name. Others attribute the moniker to the sandpaper-like quality of the scales. Whatever the true origin, filefish are another group of highly entertaining critters on the reef.

They eat a variety of things, but mostly algae, seagrass, soft corals and anemones. Scrawled filefish seem to have an affinity for munching on branching fire coral. I have also seen scrawled filefish pecking at a moon jellyfish in mid water.

Whitespotted filefish are usually very shy, and I have found it takes a bit of patience to get them oriented for a good photo. Their color changes from orange to a dull yellow and gray when they display the white spots.

Next on the elusiveness scale are the orangespotted filefish. They are quite a bit smaller than the scrawled or whitespotted varieties and tend to hide among the gorgonians and peak out at you before they bolt to a more secure spot.

To me the most difficult species to spot are the slender filefish. Not only are they quite small, typically about three inches or less in length, but they are quite adept at changing color to match the gorgonian they are hiding behind. We have seen them frequently on on top of the mini-wall on Deep Molasses.

LanguageEnglish
Release dateMay 6, 2017
ISBN9781370308125
File this Fish with the Shy Group
Author

Tim Grollimund

Tim spent nearly a decade in Key Largo, Florida. He wrote the scuba diving column for the local newspaper, The Reporter, for over three years, and also served as a Working Group member and Alternate Representative on the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council. His ebooks are all based on his newspaper columns. Each ebook has a collection of underwater images shot by Tim. The ebooks cover a wide range of marine life species and ocean conservation topics.

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    Book preview

    File this Fish with the Shy Group - Tim Grollimund

    File this Fish with the Shy Group

    Tim Grollimund

    Author: Tim Grollimund

    Date Published: March 20, 2017

    ISBN: 978-1-3703081-2-5

    Publisher: Smashwords Edition

    Copyright © Apex Global Solutions LLC 2017. All rights reserved. This material may not be reproduced, displayed, modified or distributed without the prior and express written permission of the copyright holder. All inquiries via timgrollimund.com

    Table of Contents

    File this Fish with the Shy Group

    Acknowledgments

    Introduction

    The Reporter

    Filefish

    About The Author

    Other eBooks, Prints and Keepsakes

    Acknowledgments

    To Dad, who knew I loved the sea, and always encouraged me to pursue my passion.

    Introduction

    When I moved to the Florida Keys in 2009, I had one objective in mind. Simply, to become highly proficient as an underwater photographer. For the previous

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