Bottleus finicus

The fish is commonly know as the Bottlefish. It got his scientific name because it resembles a water bottle with fins,

Ocean Zone and Habitat

The Bottlefish lives in a coral reef. This means it lives in the photic zone, neritic zone, and the epipelagic zone. A coral reef is a ridge of rock in the sea formed by the growth and deposit of coral. The photic zone is the part of the ocean that light penetrates. The neritic zone is from where the continental shelf is to where it breaks. The epipelagic zone is the first 200 meters of the oceans where photosynthesis takes place. Some abioitic factors in the coral reef is sand, rocks, and shells.

Physical Traits and Adaptions to the Environment

The Bottle fish has many unique traits. It has one big eye but its uses its fins as major sensory organs. Its fins are made up of different colors to distract its prey. This is an adaptation unlike its ancestors that had all black fins. An adaptation is that the Bottlefish is transparent which allows it to blend in with its surroundings.

Locomotion

The Bottlefish is a nekton. That means it moves around by swimming. It uses its fins to push against the water when moving to a different area to hunt for its food.

Respiration

The Bottlefish uses oxygen in the water to breath. The Bottlefish takes water in through its mouth. The fish then forces the water through its gills, which then transfers the oxygen to the blood of the fish and the rest of its cells.

Feeding

The Bottlefish is a predator. He uses his camouflage abilities to help him catch his prey while also hiding from predators. while hunting it moves down to the benthic zone and hides by the coral. While there it waits for its prey. It eats small crustaceans like crabs, lobster, krill, and shrimp. When they come swimming by the Bottlefish it sucks up the fish and swallows it whole.

Reproduction

The Bottlefish reproduces in a very interesting way. The females drop off their egg sacks (bottle tops) in a safe place for the eggs until they hatch. The males then go and drop off their sperm (bottle tops) to fertilize the eggs. The male then stays and watches over the eggs for four weeks until they hatch. After that the baby Bottlefish are on their own.

Defense Strategies

The Bottlefish has many ways to defend itself. Its main defense strategy is its ability to camouflage itself with any different type of surrounding. But its fins also provide the fish with other types. If it does get seen it can swim away from slower predators and bury itself in the sand. When it feels threatened it also puts all its fins together and make itself seem bigger and since the fins are other colors it also confuses the predator which allows the Bottlefish to escape.