ADW: Leaf_fish.jpg

Jeffords, Jeffrey

Leaf_fish

Identification

Taenianotus triacanthus (Swayfish)

Location

Luzon Island, Philippines

Caption

Though they look menacing, leaf fish (Taenianotus triacanthus) are very docile animals. This specimen is typical in length, about 3 or 4 inches. It parks itself on the reef for long periods, and its body acts as a sail, swaying with the slightest current. The reflective, almost glowing eyes seem to add to the mysterious nature of this fish. Their dorsal spines are sharp and venomonous.

Subject
Live Animal

Type
Photo

Anatomy
Coloration/Patterning :: Cryptic

Life Stages And Gender
Adult/Sexually Mature

Contributors

Jeffrey N. Jeffords (photographer; copyright holder; identification)

Conditions of Use

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

To cite this page: Jeffords, J.2004. "Leaf_fish.jpg" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed March 20, 2025 at https://animaldiversity.org/collections/contributors/jeffrey_jeffords/fish/Leaf_fish/

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This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation Grants DRL 0089283, DRL 0628151, DUE 0633095, DRL 0918590, and DUE 1122742. Additional support has come from the Marisla Foundation, UM College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, Museum of Zoology, and Information and Technology Services.

The ADW Team gratefully acknowledges their support.