Foureye butterflyfish Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Foureye butterflyfish

Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Genus:	Chaetodon
Species:	capistratus
Synonyms
Chaetodon bricei Smith, 1898

The foureye butterflyfish (Chaetodon capistratus) is a beautiful fish. It belongs to the butterflyfish family. People also call it the four-eyed butterflyfish. You can find this fish in the western Atlantic Ocean. It lives from Massachusetts, USA, and Bermuda all the way to the Caribbean and northern South America. This fish is a well-known type of Chaetodon fish. It is related to the banded butterflyfish and the spot-finned butterflyfish.

What the Foureye Butterflyfish Looks Like
- Why It's Called "Foureye"
How the Foureye Butterflyfish Stays Safe
Where They Live and What They Eat
Gallery
See also

What the Foureye Butterflyfish Looks Like

Foureye butterflyfish have flat bodies that are tall from top to bottom. They have one fin on their back, called a dorsal fin. Their mouth is small with tiny, stiff teeth. Their bodies are usually light grey. Sometimes they have a bit of yellow. They also have dark, V-shaped stripes pointing towards their head. Their bottom fins are yellow.

Why It's Called "Foureye"

This fish gets its name from a big dark spot on each side of its body. This spot has a bright white ring around it. It looks just like an eye. A black stripe goes through the fish's real eye on its head. This makes the real eye hard to see.

How the Foureye Butterflyfish Stays Safe

The fake eye spot helps the fish trick predators. When a foureye butterflyfish feels scared, it swims away. It puts its fake eye spot closer to the danger. Most predators aim for the eyes. This trick makes the predator think the fish will swim backwards.

The eye spots are bigger than the fish's real eye. They can also change shape. This might help scare away other animals. It could also confuse predators. Sometimes, if it cannot escape, the fish will face the danger. It lowers its head and raises its spines. This makes it look tough, like a bull ready to charge. It might remind the predator that the fish is too spiny to eat easily.

Where They Live and What They Eat

Foureye butterflyfish usually live in shallow ocean waters near the shore. They eat many different small sea creatures. These include zoantharians, polychaete worms, gorgonians, and tunicates.

This fish is amazing at swimming around coral heads and reefs. They can swim through very tight spaces. They can even swim on their side or upside down! Like some other fish, foureye butterflyfish often stay with the same partner for their whole lives. You will often see them swimming in pairs.