the spanish hogfish

Here's another Bermuda native fish that's too pretty to eat. It's the Spanish Hogfish. Not as interesting as the Parrotfish with its sex changing ways, but it holds up its own. What it doesn't make up for in genetic marvels, it makes up for in vibrancy.

Some facts about the hogfish: as a juvenile, it rids the ocean of parasites but abandons this diet in favour of crabs, mollusks & sea urchins as it matures. It lives among corals & are very conspicuous (well that one's a given considering its colour). The males spend half their time foraging than the females do, for they busy their lives with social interaction & mating. Well, there's a case of role reversal. The meat of the Spanish Hogfish is poisonous (which is interesting because I once saw a Bermudian fisherman skin & fillet one of these & all I could think was what a pity. It's too bad I didn't have my camera to take a before shot). But if the facts are not to be ignored, what's the lesson here? Leave the pretty fish alone. It's the dull ones that are safe to eat. Ok, so maybe there's one interesting fact about the Spanish Hogfish: the male defends his territory with groups of females backing him up. Talk about getting women to do the dirty work.