WATERY WEDNESDAY # 23

WATERY WEDNESDAY# 23

Animals come with so many fun patterns! Yesterday’s tortoise had stars on its shell, and today’s fish has spots! Yep, we found a fish with spots for this Watery Wednesday! Let’s get our snorkel gear on and dive in to the coral reefs of the Indo-Pacific oceans!

MEET THE PANTHER FISH!

Range/Habitat: Indo-Pacific Oceans/ coral reefs

Diet: Carnivore: small fish and crustaceans

Length/Weight: up to 28”/ up to 7 lbs

Conservation Status: Vulnerable

Fun Facts:

• Panther fish are also known as humpback grouper or panther grouper.
• Panther fish are cream with black spots.
• They have small heads with a large hump on their backs.
• Their spots help them camouflage into their surroundings.
• Panther fish are ambush predators.
• They are solitary and territorial.

These fish sure are fancy pants with their polka dots! And those dots aren’t just for show, they help them blend in, so predators won’t see them! Ellie wants to know if she gets a polka dot outfit if it will help her camouflage. Edmond says no way!