Overview
My name is Sydney. I am a ichthyologists who works out of Duke University. This website will provide you with everything you need to know about the Triacanthidae fish. This is such a special fish. Over the course of my career, I have focused on the Triacanthidae fish and what makes it so special in comparison to all the other fish in the sea. While it might not be the biggest fish, it most definitely stands out in more ways than one. To give just one example, Triacanthidae have the ability to see ultraviolet light. This is something that even humans are not capable of.
Coloring
Another interesting fact is that depeding on the sex the colored ring around the eye is different. I have pasted the facts below.
Females
Purple: 80%
Yellow: 20%
Males
Blue: 30%
Orange: 70%
Females
Purple: 80%
Yellow: 20%
Males
Blue: 30%
Orange: 70%
A Dying Species
It is imperative that this species is protected. Since 1990 the number of these fish have been decreasing exponentially. This is mainly because Black Coral has begun to be harvested. In 2006, a law was passed to ban the harvesting of Black Coral. Slowly and surely this fish has grown in numbers. In 1990 the number were up to 40k before the harvesting began. By 2005 they dipped to 10k which called for environmental reform to be taken more seriously. It is now projected that the number of fish has risen to 15k.
Bones
The Triacanthidae fishs' bones are also made up of a unique calcium compound. This calcium compound makes these bones 15x more flexible than the bones of average fish. This enables the fish to swim at an extraordinarily fast speed for its size and strength.
Spine
This fish is more commonly known as the triplespine fish. The reasoning is because this fish has been found to have 3 different spines. Each spine serves a different purpose. However, all of these spines allow the fish to have incredible posture. Additionally, these spines help support the fish. Because all of the spines are so thin, it is necessary that the fish has all three spines for support. When fish are not born with all 3 spines, most time they tend to die.
Black Coral
Where there is Black Coral it is likely that one will be able to spot a Triacanthidae. They feed off of black coral. This is why the Triacanthidae is mostly found around Northern Australia and Indonesia. Because of the teeth, these fish are able to access nutrients in the Black Coral that other fish are not able to get at.