Longspine spinefish

Biology

Longspine snipefishes are small coastal fish that form big schools. As juveniles, they live in the water column and feed on plankton. During this phase their silvery colour makes them less visible to the eyes of predators. As adults, they turn pink and live near the bottom, where they feed on small invertebrates, which they swallow whole.

Conservation

As this is a schooling species, with a wide coastal distribution, it is regularly taken as by-catch.

Curiosities

Longspine snipefishes swim slowly, with the body vertical and the head down.