An amazing find every time again, the giant frogfish. They are sometimes hard to be spotted but we find them often while diving in Bali. On the second dive of the course we spotted it sitting on the sandy bottom; not a very smart spot for a fish that is normally so perfectly camouflaged.

The giant frogfish (Antennarius commerson) is a member of the anglerfish family. Frogfishes are known for their amazing camouflage, they camouflage to hide for predators and for their prey. Sometimes they mimic to be a potential meal for their prey, mimicking a meal is called aggressive mimicry.

Frogfish don’t move very much and when it finds a suitable hiding place it’s capable of changing skin color to blend in with its environment. Frogfishes eat small fish, crustaceans (shrimps, crabs etc.), and sometimes even other frogfish.

Frogfish are stalking hunters, meaning it will follow the prey around until it’s close enough to suck the prey in. With suction feeding they open their mouth incredibly fast, creating a pressure difference between their mouth and the surrounding environment, sucking the prey in with the water flowing into their mouth.

Frogfishes live solitary lives and don’t tolerate the presence of other frogfish around them, hence the potential diet of relatives. During the mating period frogfish somewhat tolerate each other, but if the male stays around too long the female might eat the male.

There’s a whole different world under the surface, much of it we are still unaware about. To learn more all we have to do is dive into this adventure… Our student did, he is now a proud Scuba Diver and excited to explore more!

This frogfish was spotted in Tanjung Sari, Padang Bai, Bali.

Excited to see some beautiful frogfish? Dive with Two Fish Divers in Padang Bai!