
CYNTHIA COOPER SHAW

FROGFISHES are crazy! Also called anglerfish, these ambush predators lie in wait for their prey, using a "lure" (above, tucked behind the nubbin on its forehead) to catch a small fish. Apparently these guys can engulf their prey faster than any other fish can. They move slowly by jet propulsion, huffing in water through their mouths and puffing it out their rear-facing gills. I watched this Painted Frogfish (above) maneuver slowly using its "fin-leg" to push against the sponge. Frogfishes can change colors slowly to match the surrounding sponge or coral. All of the images on this page were taken in Lembeh Strait of North Sulawesi, Indonesia.

Hairy Frogfish
This wacky-looking guy is covered in hairlike spinules, which are skin appendages.

Juvenile Hairy Frogfish
The beginnings of the spinules can be seen on this fuzzy little baby. It was just about an inch long, with a mouth about as big.

Scarlet Frogfish
This spongy-looking one has an ear to the reef, as if ready to take in all the local gossip.