Marty’s photo of the day #4931: While visiting the Raja Ampat, Deb and I saw multiple species of rabbitfish. The ones in this photo are masked rabbitfish, and, like all rabbitfish, they possess venomous spines in their dorsal, anal, and pelvic fins. The venom is painful to humans, but not deadly. Rabbitfish are shy herbivorous grazers that eat mostly algae.
Whoever named these fish thought they resembled rabbits, but I don’t see it. However, now I’m imagining gangs of venomous rabbits ruling forests around the world.
(Photographed in the Raja Ampat of Indonesian New Guinea.)