Diving in Thailand and the Amazing Marine Life You Will See - Frogfish

"Diving in Thailand and the Amazing Marine Life You Will See - Frogfish"," If you walk in the jungle or go on a safari, you might be lucky to catch a glimpse of a rare animal in the trees or far a way from you. Things might look boring when you are on the surface, but as soon as you put a mask on and pop your head under water, you find an amazing new world, rich in life. There are so many different species in such a small area and they come in all shapes, colors and sizes. You can find anything here, from tiny Gobies to massive Manta Rays or Whale Sharks. On the first place comes the elusive Frogfish (family Antennariidae), also called Anglerfish. I have seen adult dive guides cheer like a child in his regulator. All divemasters all got very excited, started to hug each other and slap each other on the shoulders. When you see a picture of a Frogfish, you might think ""that's a nice fish, but why the excitement?"". And when do find one and take a closer look, you will find out that Frogfish are amazing animals. Sometimes they hide but even when one sits smack on top of a coral head, most divers will pass it without ever knowing. And when you point one out to divers, it often takes a while before they realize that you are not pointing to a rock or piece of coral, but actually a fish. They vary in size between a few up to 30 centimeters. The lure consists of the illicium (the spine) and the esca (the bait), and may resemble a worm, crustacean, or small fish. If a fish wants to catch this make-believe prey it becomes prey itself - fast as lightning the Frogfish greatly expands its mouth thus creating suction pressure and engulfs the animal. Frogfishes do not swim in the conventional way; instead, they ""walk"" on their pectoral fins or use 'jet propulsion' (forcefully expelling water from the small opercular opening generally behind and below the pectoral fins). They are able to change their color to match the background with high precision, and their camouflage is further aided by numerous warts and filaments on their skin, giving them an appearance similar to rough coral, a sponge or even a piece of drifting weed. So next time you are on a dive and all of a sudden your guide starts to get excited, gives a lot of funny hand signals and points at something that looks exactly like a piece of ordinary coral, chances are he has found you a Frogfish. LEARN SOMETHING NEW AND