Facts: The Scrawled Filefish

Scrawled filefish are brightly colored marine fish that inhabit tropical and temperate waters all around the world. They can be spotted in lagoons and on coral and rocky reefs, most commonly from depths near the surface to 65 ft deep. Their body is very compressed and elongated. They have a long, pointed snout and a very long, broom-like tail that is often drooped. They are poor swimmers. They tend to swim by undulating their dorsal and anal fins. Their skin is rough, like sandpaper. The fish can be olive brown to gray in color with irregular blue splotches and short lines, along with small black spots. Juveniles are yellowish brown with dark spots and sometimes found swimming camouflaged around floating debris in the open ocean. Adults feed on a variety of animals such as anemones, corals, and tunicates, along with algae and seagrass. Scrawled filefish are usually solitary. They have two dorsal spines. The first dorsal spine is long. The second dorsal spine is short and able to lock the first spine in place when erected. Adult scrawled filefish can grow over 3 ft long. They are fished in some parts of their range and are also utilized in the aquarium trade. For more marine facts, click the SUBSCRIBE button!!