A Porcupinefish.... sometimes called a Balloonfish, Blowfish or Globefish.
They are even sometimes called a Pufferfish.... but that would be wrong.
A completely different guy.
Porcupinefish have the ability to inflate their bodies ... by swallowing water or air.
This will increase their size to almost double.... which reduces the number of predators with a mouth big enough to swallow them.
As line of defense.... their body is covered with sharp spines, which stand out straight from their body when they are inflated.
That makes them a lot less fun to swallow.... even if your mouth is big enough.
But none of that mayhem was going on here.... in fact, I have never seen one inflated.
We were just having.... a nice friendly game of hide and seek.
This is a pretty rare pixture for me.
Two fish in the same shot.... is a rare thing for me.
And, two interesting fish at that.... a High Hat and a Sharpnose Puffer.
I am a "fill the frame" kind of photographer.... and as a result prefer to use a long lens.
I also subscribe the to the belief that when you think you are close.... get closer.
So, I usually have all my attention focused on a single subject.
To tell you the truth, that was the case here too.
My intention was to get a pixture of the High Hat.
But I got excited on the way in, to close.... and snapped an early frame.
I didn't even know the Puffer was there.... until I went to crop the pixture, more than a year after I shot it.
Sometimes a little luck is a photographers best friend.
Sometimes to you take the pixture, bring it home and like it.... just because.
It's just a shell.
Maybe someone lives inside.... and maybe not.
But it is still a great shape, with interesting lines and warm colors.
Something that you are probably not going to see on your way to work tomorrow.
And that .... makes it beautiful.
Scorpionfish make a pretty easy subject.... once you find them.
The truth is I am always proud.... and probably even a little amazed, when I do spot one.
They blend so perfectly with their surroundings that I most often see them.... only because they move.
They generally don't go far.... before they again settle to the coral.
And then, both of us knowing where the other is.... you can usually get pretty close for the pixture.
Even then, I have to say.... the camoflage is so good.
That if it weren't for the eyeballs.... I might not know which end to photograph.
