Lizardfish (Synodus sp) with Captured Butterflyfish (Chaetodon sp)

This is a lizardfish (Synodus sp.) that has just caught a butterflyfish (Chaetodon sp.). Lizardfish are ambush predators. They lie in wait on the bottom, often perched at a slight angle, such that the fish looks up into the water column. When potential prey passes overhead, the lizardfish darts up in the blink of an eye to grab its meal. While some fish do get away, the many sharp, backward-pointing teeth in a lizardfish’s mouth make escape difficult.

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Filename: lizardfish-eating-butterflyfish-201002-0615.tif
Copyright: Copyright Tony Wu. All rights reserved. No duplication, reproduction or usage without prior written permission.
Image Size: 5616x3744 / 60.3MB; https://www.photoshelter.com/support/license#rm; https://www.tony-wu.com/contact-tony-wu; Bony Fish: Animalia Chordata Osteichthyes Actinopterygii Perciformes Chaetodontidae Chaetodon sp. Butterflyfish Aulopiformes Synodontidae Synodus sp. Lizardfish Predation Hunting Pacific Sulawesi Sea Celebes Sea Indonesia North Sulawesi Lembeh Strait
Contained in galleries: Fish Photos, Marine Life | North Sulawesi

This is a lizardfish (Synodus sp.) that has just caught a butterflyfish (Chaetodon sp.). Lizardfish are ambush predators. They lie in wait on the bottom, often perched at a slight angle, such that the fish looks up into the water column. When potential prey passes overhead, the lizardfish darts up in the blink of an eye to grab its meal. While some fish do get away, the many sharp, backward-pointing teeth in a lizardfish’s mouth make escape difficult.