Batfish
The name Batfish has been given to several different fish species, but the most recognizable is the nearly circular, silver sided, yellow finned, black striped variety found in shallow tropical waters of the world's oceans.
Slow swimming, and graceful, batfish are not shy of divers and do not swim off when approached.
Encounters:
Often found in pairs, and even large schools, Batfish are common across the world's tropical seas, from the Caribbean, to the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Batfish often like to hang around mooring ropes and buoys, taking shelter and feeding in the shadows, and are encountered when beginning a dive, or making a safety stop at the end.
Scientific Name:
Platax Tiera
Diet:
small fish, crustaceans
Facts:
grows up to 60 cm in length;
is found in the tropical Indo West Pacific;
though not commercially caught, anglers do catch batfish near freshwater estuaries;
juvenile specimens will mimic dead leaves when prey approaches;
are popular saltwater aquarium fish
Research and Conservation Agencies:
The Batfish is not threatened therefore has no agencies working to protect it
Diving With Batfish
I've seen large schools of Batfish in the Caribbean islands of Tortola and Virgin Gorda, where they circled lazily around the mooring rope beneath boats, looking for meals of fresh fruit and bread dropped overboard. They are not shy of divers, and keep on moving without missing a beat even when divers suddenly appear in front of them.
I have also seen juvenile batfish at Khao Nayak, 'Monster Mountain' south of Khao Lak, Thailand. Deep in a rock crevasse, what looked like dead leaves at first, turned out to be razor thin Batfish, deep brown, with bright purple markings on the outside of the fins. In a blink of an eye, they were gone.
Questions about diving with Batfish? Email Dave here.