Soapfish

Photo: csillam · CC BY-NC-SA

The greater soapfish takes its name from a mucus it secretes when stressed — grammistin — that is toxic to fish and highly deterrent to predators. It rests motionless on the Dragon Bay rubble and coral rubble slopes during the day, easily mistaken for a piece of encrusted rock. At night it hunts small sleeping fish. Its toxin-secreting capability makes it one of the few reef fish with a chemical rather than physical defence strategy.