Razorfish

Head down and tail up

Can you see the fish swimming with their heads down? They are known as razorfish, and they swim closely together with bobbing movements, to imitate wilting leaves floating in the water. Razorfish live in the ocean in shallower waters in areas with coral reefs and seaweed. The body is very slender and elongated, and covered with thin, transparent plates. The mouth of the razorfish is tiny. It therefore eats very small zooplankton, such as the newly hatched larvae of the crustacean known as Artemia.

Hiding among the spines of the sea urchin

The elongated body of the razorfish and its particular way of swimming allows it to hide very well among other elongated things in the sea. They often reside among corals with many branches, or even among the spines of sea urchins. Predators don’t want to be stung by these spines, which is why the sea urchin offers great protection for the razorfish. As coral reefs decline, due to environmental degradation and climate change, the razorfish is also at risk of decline.