Scubashooters – July 2019

Biological introduction

Although the unusual shape, the crocodile
fish is a Scorpaeniform.
Shape and color make it particularly mimet-
ic, but when it is more visible, the shape and
color themselves easily evoke the memory
of a crocodile.

It reaches about 70-100 cm in length, with a
flattened body and a very wide mouth and
squashed, staining on the shades of brown
with lighter and darker streaks (sometimes
tending to greenish) that allow it to com-
pletely fade into the surrounding environ-
ment.

“How deep...”

Shy visitor of sandy bottoms and sand mixed
with gravel or reef debris, on average we
may find the crocodile fish up to about 40-
50 meters deep. The juvenile forms, more
difficult to observe, are found in the middle
of prairies of algae and seagrass with a finer
sandy bottom.

Curiosity

The most peculiar and fascinating adapta-

tion of the crocodile fish is in the eye: to in-

crease the level of mimicry, the eye is par-

tially covered by a thin layer of irregularly

shaped tissue, a pseudo-eyelid that camou-

flages the eye’s outline, i.e. that part of the

body notoriously able to highlight the pres-

ence of the fish.

Approach, observation and photography

techniques

First, we must be able to identify it, but once

done, if the animal is not disturbed, it will

lend itself to a meticulous observation. This

is because until the disturbance does not be-

comes excessive, the animal tends to remain

motionless to go unnoticed to the hypothet-

ical aggressor till, feeling too threatened, it

decides to run away quickly. Hence, remem-

ber to keep the right observation distance so

as not to turn yourself, even if unintention-

ally, into the “on duty predator” from which

to escape.