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The red Sea stars (we don’t call them starfish anymore, because they’re not really fish!) is a prominent species, common off the South African coast. They are covered by deep orange or red skin resembling tiny overlapping tiles. This starfish has five fairly short arms that taper away from its body. The underside of the red starfish is flat so its arms resemble semi-circles in cross section. Red starfish are true detritivores, scavenging on decomposing plant and animal tissue and waste. The red starfish has not been assessed for the IUCN Red List.

The tiny sand shrimp is a scavenger, common in intertidal pools and rocky coasts along the west coast of Southern Africa and the southern Cape. These shrimps have transparent bodies, except for thin black vertical stripes and small yellow spots at their joints. Their internal organs are easily visible. Above the eyes is a protruding part of the carapace called the rostrum, which has jagged saw-like edges. Sand shrimps are “carideans” which, unlike cleaner shrimps, are not hermaphrodites. Females lay hundreds of thousands of eggs, which hatch and rapidly grow through several planktonic phases. The juvenile shrimp migrate to estuaries where they mature, eventually migrating to the sandy ocean floor in large groups. The sand shrimp has not yet been assessed for the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

The jumping bean is a shy fish, but it is hard to miss when one catches a glimpse of its brilliant blue body and burnt orange head and back. The jumping bean generally lives alone on coral reefs and rocky outcrops. It feeds on algae, but is an omnivore and will predate on smaller animals if the opportunity presents itself. This fish begins life as a male, but changes into a female with age. The IUCN status is Least Concern, but its population is decreasing.

The copperband butterflyfish is visually very similar to the South African butterflyfish. It can easily be distinguished by the prominent black eyespot on the upper-back part of its body, and has one additional vertical copper stripe in comparison to the South African butterflyfish. The fish is territorial and will pair up and protect its feeding area from other pairs of butterflyfish. It is common and lives on reefs throughout the Indian Ocean. Its elongated snout is used to feed on benthic invertebrates that take refuge in cracks and holes in the reef. The IUCN have classified this species as Least Concern.

This bright yellow butterflyfish is easily identifiable by its coloration, its black eye spot and the black bar through its eye. The only pale colouration on the fish is the white tail and transparent tail fin, edged by a thick black stripe. Yellow teardrop butterflyfish live amongst corals and on rocky shores off the east coast of South Africa. It can be seen individually or in monogamous pairs, and prefers to stay in groups when hunting. Like many other butterflyfish, its diet consists of planktonic invertebrates. The IUCN have assessed this species as Least Concern, with stable populations.

The comet is a tropical reef-dwelling fish that is characterised by its dark black-brown body which is covered in small white spots. Its large fins can be expanded wide, forming a large oval disc, or pulled in, reducing the comet’s apparent size. Its most striking visual characteristic is the large blue-edged eyespot on its dorsal fin. The comet is a nocturnal predator. During the day it tends to stay hidden in crevasses or under ledges. At night it leaves its hiding places in search of small fish and crustaceans. When it identifies prey, the comet will flare its fins and approach the fish by swimming sideways. Often, the dorsal fin eyespot will confuse the prey into thinking that the comet’s tail is its head. The prey will try to escape “behind” the comet, but will actually be swimming towards its mouth. If a comet is startled or pursued by a larger predator when hunting, it once again uses its tail. The comet will hide its head in a hole, and by flaring its tail it can fool predators into thinking that it is a moray eel’s head, specifically the guineafowl moray (Gymnothorax meleagris). The IUCN status has not yet been assessed.

The yellowfin surgeonfish is a beautiful fish that gradually changes colour as it matures. This colour change is so intense, that juveniles and adults were, until recently, classified as different species. The adult yellowfin surgeon is purple-grey in colour with a yellow patch behind each eye and fins that grade from purple, through yellow to transparent. It has small caudal spines. The juvenile has proportionately longer dorsal and anal fins, as well as vivid blue scribbled stripes across its flanks and fins. The yellowfin surgeon is a scavenger that sifts through sand and gravel in the sandy outer areas of reefs. It feeds on food and waste left behind by other fish species. This fish does not choose a mate. Instead, on full moon nights during warm seasons the males will take on different colouration and attract females to large spawning groups. The yellowfin surgeon is common throughout the coral reefs of the Indo-Pacific, extending along the east African coast to South Africa. It generally prefers sheltered bays and lagoons to open ocean. Its IUCN status Least Concern, and its population is regarded as stable.

The garrick is an elongated predator, with a sleek silver-green body and dark fins. Its most notable identifying feature is the downward curving lateral line along its sides. This is straight in most fish. The garrick hunts other fish along our Atlantic coast, but it also follows the annual sardine migration up the coast towards KwaZulu-Natal. The IUCN status of the garrick is least concern. In South Africa however, it is a no-sale species and it is illegal to buy or sell them as per the Southern African Sustainable Seafood Initiative (SASSI) Red List.

The longfinned batfish has a narrow body and steep forehead, in profile appearing as a large disc. It is usually silver-brown with two black bands; one through the eye, the other through its pectoral fin. Like several other species of fish the batfish is adapted to survive in numerous environments and can change colour, rapidly shifting between a pale silver to a dark brown, and back when threatened. The longfinned batfish lives in a variety of environments, from sheltered bays to deep offshore. It has a tendency to form shoals around objects of interest, particularly shipwrecks. Juvenile batfish typically follow drifting debris in the open ocean, but will form groups as they encounter others of the same species. Found along our eastern coast, the batfish feeds on tiny zooplankton, invertebrates and seaweed.

The seventy-four is a beautiful fish, with a pinkish head and belly, silver-yellow body and four to six iridescent blue stripes running horizontally across its sides. On each side, above its pectoral fin, is a conspicuous black spot. It is primarily a piscivore, feeding on smaller fish such as sardines and mullet, but will also eat squid and crustaceans if available. Juvenile seventy-fours feed exclusively on tiny invertebrates. Due to overfishing in the 1960s, the seventy-four now faces extinction in the wild. Thanks to a total ban on fishing, and proper management of its ecosystem, its numbers are slowly recovering. The seventy-four is Critically Endangered, the most severe rating on the IUCN Red List. It is also Red on the WWF-SASSI List.

The white kingfish is a large fish with a silver-grey body that can take on a green tint on the fish’s upper side, and a yellow band that runs along its lateral line. Schools of white kingfish inhabit coastal waters across the Atlantic Ocean – from the United States and Spain to South Africa. It prefers to shoal over reefs, where it spawns during winter. Young white kingfish typically hunt small invertebrates and fish using suction (just like seahorses) The IUCN status of the white kingfish is Least Concern.