We learn about some strange fish - The Frogfish - Reading piece for kids

in #education3 years ago

image.pngsource

Can you find it? I’m sure you did! It can blend into coral and other underwater plants.

The frogfish grows up to 15 cm long, the coloring of its body is variable because it tends to match its living environment. Frogfishes have the capacity to change coloration and pigment patter in a few weeks! They are the masters of blending in, a lot like a chameleon and the octopus, they are hidden in plain sight!


They also aren’t easy prey, their two natural predators
are the moray eel and other frogfish, for this reason, the frogfish doesn’t need to use its camouflage to hide away from those trying to attack them, but they use it to get an advantage in hunting it’s prey. A frogfish isn’t just going to attack its prey after luring it in, its going to suck it in whole, frogfish has no teeth and can’t chew their food, this means that everything is swallowed in one piece, while still alive.

The frogfish can open their mouths up to 12 times its normal size, since its then easy to suck up the prey.

image.png

source

They aren’t born with a swim bladder like most other fish, so its hard for them to swim around in water. The frogfish uses its fins to move around the bottom of the water, which looks like they are walking.

If a frogfish wants to get around further they will take in large amounts of water through their mouths, the water is then quickly and forcefully shot out through their gills, located near the base of its tail, this allows the frogfish to propel forward.

Frogfishes have very flexible stomach and jaw bones to accommodate the prey. They can even eat something twice their own size! A single female frogfish can lay between 40,000 and 180,000 eggs to be fertilized, that greatly increases the chances of survival in the species. 

There are between 49 and 52 different types of frogfish that we know of.

The babies are born with some natural camouflage as they share the same colors of poisonous slugs and worms in the water. This makes
predators hesitant to go near them and increases their chances of survival greatly.

source




Sort:  

cuddle_serenade.png

I agree with you on this I know the frogfish can open their mouths up to 12 times its normal size, since its then easy to suck up the prey., very true