Sunflower fish: a description of the species, features of behavior and habitat

Ordinary sunflower is a fish with an unusual body shape, which is its business card. For scientists, it is interesting in that it has an amazing masking system that can hide it from numerous enemies. As for the fishermen, for them the dolphin fish is a wonderful trophy, so desirable and mysterious.

Ancient legend

In the west, the sunflower is known as the "fish of St. Peter". This is due to an ancient legend explaining the appearance of marvelous marks on her body. Thus, legends say that the apostle loved to fish off the shores of the Sea of Galilee, throwing nets into bottomless waters. Once he caught a sunshine, so tiny and defenseless, that Peter regretted it and released it back into the sea.

Grateful fish returned to the apostle with a golden coin in his mouth, thanks to his generosity. Also, if you believe this legend, then two dark spots on the sides of the sunny - these are marks from the fingers of St. Peter. They serve as a symbol that the ancient ancestor of these fishes could beg mercy from the great apostle, for which the blessing fell on all their kind.

General information about the view

Who knows how much truth lurks in these stories? After all, real evidence to confirm their reliability, simply did not survive. However, scientists know a lot about modern representatives of this species, since not a dozen researchers have studied them.

To begin with, a sunflower fish is a representative of the solar family. Their close relatives are percussion. Moreover, their habitat is truly impressive: these fish are found in the east of the Atlantic, off the coast of South Africa, along the coastline of the Indian Ocean, as well as off the coasts of China and Japan.

Appearance

The sunflower fish has a very unusual appearance, which is why it causes genuine interest among fans of the underwater world. Her body is oval, strongly compressed at the sides. Probably, it would be best to imagine her as a flounder, only squeezed vertically. This form allows the fish to develop a high speed, which becomes its trump card both during the attack and during the flight.

Another notable property is the spiked ridge, running from the base of the tail and to the head itself. In reality, these are two dorsal fins, but in some species they are completely entwined into one. In addition, the scout is scared - and his comb immediately stands on end, exposing a series of sharp needles. Seeing such a vest of thorns, many predators do not dare to attack him, switching to more lenient prey.

The dimensions of the sunshine largely depend on the habitat. So, some subspecies of fish can reach 60-70 cm in length, while others barely outgrow the threshold of 15 cm.

Features of behavior

The dolphin fish is a real hermit. She does not like to gather in flocks, let alone make friends among other inhabitants of the sea depths. She likes dark corners of coral reefs or large depressions. It even happens that she settles at a depth of more than 200 meters, in order to completely protect herself from importunate neighbors.

It should also be noted that the sun-fish is a chameleon. She is able to change the color of her skin, thereby masquerading as the environment. This mechanism is useful for both defense and attack. What is true, her skin is not able to display all the existing colors, all that she can - adjust to the current shade of water.

The sunny diet

These fish are real predators. Like perch, they eat everything that is smaller than their size. In this case, they do not disdain carrion or worms, which accidentally fell into the water. Also in the course can go small crustaceans, squid and jellyfish.

It is noteworthy that a sunflower can use his mouth as a vacuum cleaner. Swim to a pack of small fish, he begins to suck in the water, thereby creating a reverse flow. Naturally, small and weak fish can not withstand its strength, and therefore swim straight to the sun in the mouth.