Search

There are 51 species of surgeon fish, 19 of which occur in southern African waters.

Surgeon fish are so named because of the scalpel-like spines on either side of their tail fins, which are folded into a groove when not in use.

When surgeons are threatened or alarmed, they lift their scalpel spines, using them to slash at their attackers! They also use the spines to wedge themselves into cracks in the reef.

The pencilled surgeon has a single fixed spine on each side of the base of its caudal fin, which is used in defense or when fighting.

Adults live in caves on reefs at depths of up to 100m, or in open water around sea mounts and islands.

The juveniles are found in estuaries where they graze on algae-covered rocks.

Three-spot angelfish get their name from the two spots that appear just behind their gill slits and a third spot on their forehead.

They are also known as “bluelips” because of the distinct blue shade of the adults’ lips.

Narrow black lines run between their eyes and brilliant gold bars mark their sides.

They grow to approximately 25cm in length.

They occur in the warmer tropical water of the Indo-West Pacific, from East Africa, through South-east Asia and Micronesia, north to Japan, south to Australia and east to Samoa. They are mostly seen near reef drop-offs and sometimes even in shallow reefs and lagoons.

These fish feed mainly on coral polyps, tube worms and the tentacles of filter feeders.

Devil firefish (Pterois miles) have beautiful reddish or brown stripes and delicate fins, making them interesting to watch and photograph. “Pterois” means “winged” and “miles” means soldier, so in English, their species name means “winged soldier”.

The “strepie” (which means “small stripe” in Afrikaans) is so-called because of the bright yellow stripes that run horizontally along this silver fish’s body.

Strepies (Sarpa salpa) are smallish, silvery fish with plump bodies, that can grow up to about 30cm in length.

They are also known locally as “karanteen” and are often used as bait by anglers.

They occur in both the Indian and Atlantic Oceans, but prefer cooler water and rocky areas. According to A Guide to The Common Sea Fishes of Southern Africa by Rudy van der Elst (Struik, 1985), this is one of the most abundant herbivorous fish species in southern Africa, and is “undoubtedly an important link in the foodweb”.

This distinctive little fish occurs south from Mozambique, round Cape Point, all the way up the west coast of Africa, and throughout the Mediterranean.

Strepies are listed as Green (good choice) on SASSI’s Consumer Seafood Watch list. Green-listed species are good choices because they are more plentiful and can cope better with fishing pressure.

There are 30 to 40 different kinds of seahorses, but only five of these have been seen around the southern African coastline.

The Knysna seahorse is the best known, and is the only seahorse that is endangered.

These sharks are often confused with puff adder shysharks but can be identified by their broader, more bluntly rounded snouts and depressed heads, and their large, light spots on a dark body.

These shysharks are similar in colour and markings to puffadder snakes, hence their name.

Beaked sandfish use their hard-pointed snouts to burrow in the sand, where they hide out during the day. At night they come out to hunt.

Note how big their eyes are – this is a sign that they are nocturnal hunters.

These large, silvery fish are prominent members of our Kelp Forest exhibit. White steenbras (Lithognathus lithognathus), also sometimes known as pignose grunters, occur in both the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. They grow up to a length of about one metre and can weigh up to as much as 30 kilograms, making them popular targets for anglers.

According to A Guide to The Common Sea Fishes of Southern Africa by Rudy van der Elst (Struik, 1985), white steenbras prefer shallower waters to deeper seas, and are also often found in estuaries – they can survive for extended periods in almost-fresh water.

They have pointed noses and tiny teeth at the front of their jaws, with larger molars towards the back. Their diets are varied, and can include molluscs, crabs, shrimps and worms.

In their natural habitat, these fish are fairly solitary, though at certain times of year, there can be large runs of them, for example up the east coast of South Africa.

These fish mature at about five years, and are commonly bisexual.

Palmate sea fans are related to soft corals.

They look like small trees, but they are actually colonies of animals (polyps) living together in the shape of a fan.

Each polyp has eight feathery tentacles. When the polyps come out to feed they give the ‘branches’ a fuzzy appearance.

Although they only grow 15mm per year, these sea fans can reach 2m in height.

Divers may be lucky to discover underwater “forests” of palmate sea fans.

Large colonies are often over 100 years old.

Sinuous Sea fans are related to soft corals.

They look like small trees, but they are actually colonies of animals (polyps) living together in the shape of a fan.

Each polyp has eight feathery tentacles.

When the polyps come out to feed they give the “branches” a fuzzy appearance.

Sinuous sea fans are flattened with all the “branches” on the same plane.

Small spider crabs can often be spotted hiding among the branches.

Nippled Sea fans are related to soft corals.

They look like small trees, but they are actually colonies of animals (polyps) living together in the shape of a fan. Each polyp has eight feathery tentacles.