Friendly Fins to discover butterfly fish

Preparation for snorkeling or diving Friendly Fins:

Mask, fins, snorkel, sunscreen (eco-friendly), t-shirt or wetsuit can never be missing from the equipment of friendly fins snorkelers.

(I recommend applying sunscreen at least half an hour before entering the water otherwise, in addition to having no effect, it will be dispersed in the sea).

For divers, it is better to think about all the necessary equipment, the excitement of diving in the coral reef is always sky high but let's focus on everything you need first! Both snorkelers and divers are now ready to dive! Bring with you the desire to know, observe and dream!

How can we observe butterfly fish?

When we dive into a coral reef we are immediately captivated by the billions of colors around us, even butterfly fish contribute to this wonderful watercolor.

Looking carefully among the corals, we will always see them with extreme ease: busy protecting their territory and looking for food in every tiny crevice. They are very elusive little fish and they get scared quickly as we would get scared if we suddenly saw an elephant coming towards us!

Tips for observing them:

Let's approach slowly and delicately, the butterfly fish will continue to do their business without deigning to look at us, we will be able to admire them and observe their funny behaviors without arousing any suspicion. It is important to always respect their living space and their territory, without causing damage to the surrounding environment.

Tips for “photographing” them:

We evaluate the times and places to film or photograph these wonderful animals, it is useless to try to chase them because they will always be smarter and faster to run away and hide!

Let's avoid lying on the bottom or clinging to the coral to steal a video or a shot because we would cause damage to other organisms in the meantime!

Let's always respect the environment in which we are with our movements and behaviors. Everything can be done and seen, the important thing is the way, so we will preserve this unique heritage of which our friend butterfly fish is also a part!

Some famous species of butterfly fish:

Which butterflyfish are we most likely to find during our Friendly Fins adventures?

Threadfin butterflyfish

Threadfin butterflyfish

It has a predominantly white body with black streaks and a yellow back (with an ocellus). It is easy to identify by observing the large spot that from the eye then narrows on the back and the dorsal fin that runs along the entire back of the animal ending with a thin filament from which the name "filamentous" derives.

So why is it also called auriga?

Auriga was the coachman in Latin, the filament of the dorsal fin recalls the whip used by Roman charioteers.

Very widespread in the Indo-Pacific, it lives in pairs or alone among the madreporic formations; however, they can form large schools during any migrations.

Banner butterflyfish:

Banner butterflyfish

It creates huge schools and is an easy-to-recognize fish thanks to its black and white striped coloration and yellow back of the body. Its peculiarity, however, is in the spine of the dorsal fin, which distances itself from the body and extends beyond the length of the fish. Native to the Indian Ocean, it then had a strong expansion in the Pacific.

Raccoon Butterfly Fish:

Raccoon Butterfly Fish

Fish with an extraordinary yellow base color with numerous streaks, black and white spots on the snout and on the back of the body. Thanks to the shape of these spots, its scientific name Chaetodon lunula derives, meaning “little moon” with reference to the black quarter moon on the eyes immediately followed by a similar white arch. Instead, the common name “raccoon” derives precisely from its nocturnal habits similar to this mammal.

Typical of the Indo-Pacific area, it lives in pairs or in small groups.

Bluecheek butterflyfish

Bluecheek butterflyfish:

It is an extraordinary bright yellow, with vertical stripes in the center of the body and a blue spot just below the eyes from which its name derives. This fish always lives together with its partner and is endemic to the Red Sea and Gulf of Eden.

Three-banded butterflyfish:

It gets its name from the three dark bands that cross its head vertically. Its coloration is very refined with a yellow-silver background with darker horizontal streaks and the caudal part more orange with yellow bands. In short, it is easier to see it than to describe it! It is found in all coral reefs, it is one of the most common butterfly fish that we can encounter and…

We will always find it in pairs! Happy searching!

Now Friendly Fins all you have to do is memorize their characteristics and dive in search of these bold reef fish!

If you are interested in learning more about the life of butterfly fish click here!