Aluterus scriptus facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Aluterus scriptus |
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The Aluterus scriptus, often called the scrawled filefish, is a fascinating marine fish. It's also known as the broomtail filefish or scribbled leatherjacket. This unique fish belongs to the family of filefishes, called Monacanthidae.
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Where It Lives
This amazing fish lives all around the world. You can find it in tropical waters. This includes the Atlantic Ocean, the Indian Ocean, and the Pacific Ocean. It's a true global traveler!
Home Sweet Home
The scrawled filefish likes many different places to live. You might spot it in calm lagoons. It also lives around coral and rocky reefs. Sometimes, it hides in seaweed fields or near tall underwater rocks called pinnacles. You can even find it near old shipwrecks or swimming in the open ocean.
What It Looks Like
The scrawled filefish is a medium-sized fish. It can grow up to 110 centimeters (about 3.6 feet) long. Its body is shaped like a long oval and is very flat from side to side.
Colors and Patterns
Its main body color is usually olive-brown or grey. This helps it blend in with its surroundings. It has cool, irregular blue lines and spots all over its body. You might also see some black spots, especially on its head.
What's really neat is that its colors can change very quickly! Just like an octopus, it can change its look to match its background. For example, filefish seen in the Virgin Islands might lie flat on the sand. When they do, they can turn completely white. They can also change to any of their other colors.
Special Features
The scrawled filefish has a small mouth at the end of its pointed snout. Like other fish in its group (Tetraodontiformes), it doesn't have pelvic fins. But it does have two special spines on its back. The first one is long and thin. It can stand up straight and is right above its eyes. The second spine is tiny and hard to see. It acts like a lock, holding the first spine up when it's raised. Its tail fin is rounded and quite long. It can spread out like a fan.
Young scrawled filefish look a bit different. They are usually yellow with black spots.
What It Eats
The scrawled filefish is an omnivorous eater. This means it eats both plants and small animals. It has a wide variety of foods to choose from! Its meals can include small crustaceans, different types of algae, and soft corals called gorgonians. It also enjoys sea anemones, tunicates (sea squirts), fire coral, seagrasses, and tiny animals called hydrozoans.
How It Behaves
The scrawled filefish is active during the day. It usually stays near the bottom of the ocean. This fish is often found alone. It can be quite shy when divers are around. You will rarely see it swimming with other filefish.
Images for kids
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A. scriptus from French Polynesia
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A. scriptus from Indian Ocean, Réunion
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A. scriptus from North Pacific, Hawaii
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A. scriptus from Caribbean Sea, Dominican Republic
See also
In Spanish: Aluterus scriptus para niños
