There are a great many wonderful marine species that inhabit the Caribbean Sea, making it virtually impossible to ever see them all, or become bored with the underwater scene. Patterns and markings exist throughout the animal kingdom, delivering non-verbal messages to would-be predators or prey. These markings also serve as extremely effective camouflage in each species’ chosen environment, even though they seem rather flamboyant to the human eye. Let’s check out just a few amazing patterned fish you’ll find swimming in the Caribbean.
Banded Butterflyfish
This species of butterflyfish has a flat, white body that sports four dark bands from the area its eye to its anal fin. No other butterflyfish has this particular pattern. It also has diagonal lines on its midsection and bands on its soft dorsal, caudal, and anal fins. It can be found in the shallow waters surrounding coral reefs in the Western Atlantic and Caribbean from Bermuda to Brazil.
Tiger Goby
The little tiger goby shares its patterns with the animal that gives it its name. It has reddish-yellow tiger stripes on top of a pearlescent pale body from snout to tail. At just two inches long, the tiger blenny is commonly found in tidal pools from the south of Florida to Cuba and Haiti, and is often found on or near sponges.
Spotted Scorpionfish
This patterned fish of the Caribbean is often perceived as being a large, ugly fish, with markings that help it blend perfectly into the seafloor where it lays in wait for its prey. Covered with black, brown, and dark gray spots on a pale background, the spotted scorpionfish is a striking species to see on the reef. It can grow to over 13 inches long and can be found within coral reefs, sea grasses, and sandy substrate environments. As the name implies, painful wounds can be inflicted if you come into contact with its sharp spines.
Saddled Blenny
This three-inch patterned fish has a pale elongated body with dark red triangles along its sides, complete with a large red eye to distinguish it as a blenny. Like its blenny brethren, the tiger blenny doesn’t participate in a lot of socializing on the reef. Rather, it prefers to spend its time constructing a hidden burrow in the substrate while dining on available marine plants and algae.
Indigo Hamlet
This patterned fish looks very much like a small bass, with a deep indigo body striped with white. It can be found throughout the Caribbean, up through the tropical waters of Florida. The indigo hamlet is a bottom-favoring species, but stays within well-defined territorial boundaries for its own protection.
Chain Moray Eel
The chain moray is a 28-inch long eel with a blunt snout and a series of yellow chain-like patterns over a dark background — or the exact opposite, depending on how the viewer perceives the pattern. It is found in shallow water around coral reefs, and can actually absorb oxygen from open air; however, it will only last outside water as long as its skin stays wet, up to 30 minutes in recorded cases. The chain moray can swallow small crabs whole, and bigger specimens will be twisted, tugged, and thrashed before they meet their untimely end.
