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Mandarinfish — printable fact sheet
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Mandarinfish
Synchiropus splendidus
Synchiropus splendidus is a small dragonet of Pacific reefs whose blue is not made the way almost every other blue in nature is made. Nearly all blue animals produce the colour structurally, by scattering light; the mandarinfish is one of only two fish known - the other is the c…
Did you know?
- Mandarinfish lack traditional fish scales and instead secrete a protective mucus coating that helps ward off disease and predators.
- Mandarinfish are notoriously hard to keep in aquaria because they eat only tiny live copepods and will starve in a tank without a mature, thriving population of them - a fish that beginners buy for its colour and kill through no fault of their own. The mucus is bitter enough that predators reject them, and handling one leaves a lingering smell on the hands. The vertical dusk spawning ascent is highly reliable and predictable, which has made the species a favourite of underwater photographers.
What I learned
Draw the mandarinfish
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