Intourist Maldives - Dive Maldives

Fish Watch
Batfish The body of the batfish is very flat and compressed, so that the adult of the species actually resembles a disk. The forward profile of the head is convex and smooth, but it is broken in line with the snout, which becomes progressively longer. The young of the species have very tall and narrow dorsal and anal fins, but over time these become shorter and rounder. The coloration also varies with age. The young are reddish or yellowish-brown, while the adults display broad dark vertical bands, or else are more or less silvery, while parts of their fins are dark in colour. They live in small schools and are omnivorous. They grow to a length of 50 centimetres.
Black Spotted Gardeneel These are extremely elusive creatures that flee immediately at the sight of an approaching scuba diver. They live in large colonies in sandy areas, generally deeper than 20 metres. They are seen with the front portion of their bodies out of their holes, allowing them to wave in the water, in search of plankton on which they feed. With a head distinguished by a short snout, their eyes are large and mouth oblique with large lips. The body is light coloured and is spangled with numerous small dark spots, with larger spots closer to the back. The species can grow to a length of 40 centimetres.