Frogfish – Bizarre Eating Machine Facts

Frogfish – Bizarre Eating Machine Facts

Strange Facts About This Rare Visitor To Phuket’s Diving Sites

Frogfish are a favourite of scuba divers all over the world and we’re fortunate enough to get them in Phuket. These weird little creatures with a face only a mother could love have many strange adaptations. Making it an incredibly efficient predator and some that make it just plain comical.

They generally ignore divers and photographers even when they’re extremely close and very often carry on ‘fishing’ despite the close proximity but they do let you know when they’ve had enough. The yawn that every photographer likes to capture is a threat display although they have little to back up the threat apart from possibly whipping you with its lure.

Frogfish Yawning at Racha Noi Phuket

Frogfish Yawning at Racha Noi Phuket

The Facts

  • Has a fishing rod! – Yep, that’s right a fish with a fishing rod. In a blatant disregard of ethics the first spine on the dorsal fin of most has evolved into a rod (illicium) and a bait (esca). They will dangle the lure in front of its mouth to entice prey closer. If that doesn’t work then they will stalk their prey until they get into strike range.
  • Camouflage – Most animals use camouflage to keep them safe but not this bad boy. Frogfish use aggressive mimicry to conceal themselves from their prey and can change colour in a matter of hours (below you can see the same giant frogfish that has changed from orange to pink).
  • Swimming – Fail – Watching a frogfish swim will fill you with laughter rather than awe. Most species don’t have swim bladders and so tend to waddle across the seabed, however they do have a cool trick up their sleeve – jet propulsion. Frogfish gulp in mouth fulls of water and eject it out of their tiny gill openings. Efficient – yes, elegant – very much no.
  • Lightening Reflexes – Fast is not the word that immediately springs to my mind when you see a frogfish but once its target comes into range the prey is engulfed in an attack that lasts just 6 milliseconds.
  • Big Mouth, Big Belly – They can expand their mouth up to 12 times it’s normal size (see above) so allowing it to swallow prey larger than itself straight down into it’s cavernous expanding belly.
  • They’re Cannibals – Not exclusively but they will see other frogfish as potential prey. Considering they can eat prey almost twice the size as themselves they could swallow up their mum or dad. Just a matter of who strikes first
Frogfish Colour Change At Racha Noi Phuket

Frogfish Colour Change At Racha Noi Phuket

Identification

It’s a nightmare…. with so many colour variations, warts and bumps that they can change, differentiating between the species is extremely difficult. Size, spot patterns, rod length and lure type are all used in identification so getting a positive one from a single sighting or photo can be very difficult.

Below are photos of the more common species in the Indo-Pacific and how you can get a positive ID

Giant Frogfish At Racha Noi Phuket

Giant Frogfish At Racha Noi Phuket

Giant Frogfish (Antennarius commerson)
Phuket: Yes
Size: Up to 30cm
Illicium (rod) length: Longer than 2nd spine
Esca (lure): small, bushy at the base but with fine long filaments
Other: second and third dorsal spine are thick and bulb-like

freckled frogfish at koh doc mai

freckled frogfish at koh doc mai

Freckled Frogfish (Antennarius coccineus)
Phuket: Yes
Size: Up to 10cm
Illicium (rod) length: same length as 2nd spine
Esca (lure): small tuft with dark swellings at base
Other: No distinct tail base which distinguishes it from the similar looking Spotfin

Warty Frogfish In Phuket

Warty Frogfish In Phuket

Warty Frogfish (Antennarius maculatus)
Phuket: Yes
Size: 8 – 10cm
Illicium (rod) length: twice as long as 2nd spine
Esca (lure): imitates small fish or shrimp, has ‘eye spot’
Other: easily recognisable, large triangular patches radiating from eye, warty skin, second and third dorsal spine has thin membrane

Painted Frogfish A Rare Find In Phuket Scuba Diving

Painted Frogfish A Rare Find In Phuket Scuba Diving

Painted Frogfish (Antennarius pictus)
Phuket: Rare
Size: Up to 15cm
Illicium (rod) length: twice as long as 2nd spine
Esca (lure): bushy with compressed appendages
Other: Can be easily confused with a juvenile giant but has three spots on tailfin (can see in picture) and has a colour phase similar to warty frogfish but triangular markings don’t radiate from eye.

Striated Or Hairy Frogfish

Striated Or Hairy Frogfish

Striated Frogfish (Antennarius striatus)
Phuket: Nah
Size: Up to 20cm
Illicium (rod) length: same length as 2nd spine
Esca (lure): easily recognisable large worm like appendages
Other: also known as hairy frogfish but doesn’t always have the long filaments. The distinctive stripe pattern is always present so a better way to I:D

Sargassum Frogfish

Sargassum Frogfish

Sargassum Frogfish (Histrio histrio)
Phuket: Will have drifted by at some stage
Size: Up to 15cm
Illicium (rod) length: half the length of 2nd spine
Esca (lure): small with folds
Other: lives in sargassum weed so rarely seen by divers but has a very broad range.

Pyschedelic Frogfish In Ambon (courtesy of Evelina Wang)

Pyschedelic Frogfish In Ambon (courtesy of Evelina Wang)

Psychedelic Frogfish (Histiophryne psychedelica)
Phuket: Nope
Size: Up to 5cm
Illicium (rod) length: none
Esca (lure): none
Other: There’s no mistaking this freaky looking fish and has only been found in a few places around Ambon. It’s thought to live very deep and only come to diveable depths to breed.

Truly a weird yet wonderful creature, to date there’s 49 different species and plenty waiting in pickle jars to be formally identified. They’re not common in Phuket but if your guide points out what seems like a piece of coral or sponge, it could well be one of these masters of camouflage. So take a closer look and you may see a fish fishing!

Contact Our Experts To Find The Froggie!

By Justin Hartrey

I've been enjoying the incredible marine life in our oceans for over 25 years. 13 years ago I became a PADI professional in Phuket, hoping to introduce as many people as possible to the incredible beauty of the seas.

Having been fortunate enough to dive all over south east and especially Thailand, I enjoy sharing my diving experiences and passion on this blog.

Originally from Bristol in the UK, I swapped the frigid waters of the North Atlantic for the warm tropical seas around Thailand and can confidently say that I wouldn't go back

Posted in Rare & Peculiar Critters on .

Popular Services

similan island liveaboard mv lapat

MV Lapat

MV Lapat offers a super flexible option for diving the stunning Similan and Surin island National Parks. Guests are transferred daily via a speedboat service from Thaplamu Pier in Khao Lak. You can stay as many nights as you like but if you have time and budget restraints then you can stay for just one night. There are other similar options but a great price and only 16 overnight guests make for a great choice. It's not a large boat but ce [...]

Find Out More
mv camic moored in the similan islands national park

MV Camic – Great Price With Just 14 Guests

At 27m long, MV Camic is not the largest liveaboard in the Similan Islands. So you could be forgiven for thinking space is at a premium but with only 7 cabins and a max of 14 guests, that's certainly not the case. MV Camic runs a an exciting itinerary that take in the best of the Similan & Surin Island National Parks. All of the famous dive sites will be visited including the magnificent Richelieu Rock. The 7 cabins all have en-suite and a [...]

Find Out More

Daily Schedules

M/V Kepsub Schedule

Jobs @ Local Dive Thailand

Local Dive Thailand is one of Phuket's fatest growing & most vibrant scuba diving operations, we are always looking for quality staff to join us, so feel free to have a look at our jobs listing page.

Job Listings

Contact LDT

Local Guides, Local Knowledge, Local Experiences

Don't trust your diving to amateurs or freshly minted dive guides, dive with local experienced experts from Local Dive Thailand. Our Scuba Diving Phuket Tours will take you to see the rarest of the rare critters, you will be amazed by the macro life our guides can find, in the secret places only they know. To put it in perspective, if you were going to climb Mount Everest you would certainly hire a local sherpa to lead the way & keep you safe. Diving is similar because there is absolutely no substitute for local experience & local knowledge, Local Dive Thailand's guides are Phuket's Sherpa's of the Andaman Sea!

Learn More About Us

Scuba Diving Phuket, Phi Phi & Thailand

When talking about Scuba Diving in Phuket, you should believe the hype, many seasons we have had Whale Sharks grace us on our regular and easy to reach dive sites and on a good day you can add Sea Horses, Sea Moths, Snake Eels, Frog Fish & Octopus to what you can see on any given dive and so much more. If we are heading to Phi Phi Island for the day, you can possibly see Hawksbill Sea Turtles and Black Tip Reef Sharks, also don't forget the King Cruiser, 84 meters of beautiful wreck and the most amazing reef nursery for fish and nudibranch. Local Dive Thailand day trip tours to these locations are not to be missed when you are scuba diving Phuket, get in touch with us and book an 'awesome' day of diving.

Book Your Day Trip

Related News From Local Dive Thailand

See why we are Thailand's leading scuba diving Phuket tour provider, stay up to date & watch out for news & special liveaboard offers!

spectacular sunsets on the phi phi island diving tour Amazing Local Dives

Phi Phi Diving Tour With Local Dive Thailand

Our Phi Phi diving tour is the longest day trip that we offer. That's certainly not a bad thing, you'll be rewarded with spectacular diving, scenery, fantastic memories and get to watch the sun dip below the horizon behind the Big Buddha statue. A perfect end to a perfect day. Embrace your time on the ocean, it's not something you can do everyday. The journey out, although long won't be boring. After a hearty breakfast, you can take yo [...]

Read Full Story
Whale Shark in Phuket Rare & Peculiar Critters

It’s International Whale Sharks Day But What Do We Know About Them?

Well we know whale sharks are big and spotty but not a great deal else to be honest. It's a challenging animal for scientists to study. They're trying and we're slowly gaining an insight into the biggest fish on the planets life. There is a way that you can help which we'll touch on later. There's much debate about the size to which they can grow. 18m is a common figure that's mentioned but the largest verified measurement is around 12 [...]

Read Full Story
when will thailand reopen for tourists News & Updates

When Will Thailand Reopen For Tourists?

For short term tourists, we simply don't know when Thailand will reopen for tourists. The various tourist associations on Phuket do have a plan to privately vaccinate the tourist workers. The plan will hopefully enable vaccinated tourists to arrive on the island in October 2021. However this has yet to be approved by the government but we have our fingers firmly crossed. *Update: Phuket has been chosen for what the government are calling t [...]

Read Full Story

Local Dive Thailand Office In Phuket


Find Us On Google Maps