Giant Frogfish

Photo: Tony Strazzari · CC BY-NC

Giant frogfish cling motionlessly to coral-encrusted steel using modified pectoral fins as feet, their bodies perfectly mimicking surrounding sponges or tunicates to ambush passing fish with a strike faster than the human eye can follow. They consume prey up to their own body length by engulfing it whole through a cavernous mouth that expands dramatically on strike. Each individual tends to inhabit a fixed territory on the wreck for weeks or months, making them reliable subjects for macro photographers.