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Hairy Frogfish

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  Animal class: Fish (Have vertebrae (a backbone or spine), have gills instead of lungs, are cold-blooded (their bodies cannot hold heat and must warm themselves by their surroundings like the sun), have fins to help them get around, most have scales, most do not have eyelids, have a swim bladder (helps them control how deep they go in the water), they have a 2 chamber heart, their ears are inside their bodies, they lay eggs that will, but some females will carry their fertilized eggs and give live birth (only a few species do this), and their sizes range from a male Photocorynus spiniceps (a type of anglerfish) 0.2 in (6.1 mm) to the Whale shark at 42 ft (13 m)) (Examples: Goldfish, sharks, salmon, and Sword Fish. There are over 30,000 different species)
• Diet: Carnivore (They only eat meat): Fish, snails, shrimp, crabs, and other small ocean animals, even other frogfish
• Lifespan: They can live up to 20 years
• Predators: Birds, eels, bigger fish, and other frogfish
• Size: Anywhere from 2-15 in (about 5.08-38 cm)
• Species: There are about 46 known species of frogfish, but there are around 30,000 different species of fish
• Status: Not threatened
• Weight: About 1.16 oz (.033 kg)
• Where do they live?: They are found nearly worldwide in tropical and temperate seas.
• Many can change color over time to camouflage within their surroundings (sometimes days or weeks).
• Their attack is amongst the fastest in the world.
• They have a unique lure (antennae) and wave it in front of their head (just like how we traditionally fish with lines and lures) to attract small fish and shrimp to come closer.
• Most often, they move by jumping and walking along the seafloor. To “jump,” the frogfish will suck in water through its mouth and force it out through its gills. This action makes them jet-propelled (pushes them forward with water)!