{"id":925,"date":"2012-11-04T17:54:59","date_gmt":"2012-11-04T17:54:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/scuba.cr\/?p=925"},"modified":"2012-11-15T01:59:59","modified_gmt":"2012-11-15T01:59:59","slug":"spadefish","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scuba.cr\/?p=925","title":{"rendered":"The Spadefish"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Spadefish, Catalina Islands, Costa Rica<\/p><\/div>\n

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Spadefish belong to the fish family Ephippidae, and are called \u201cChaetodipterus faber\u201d scientifically speaking. Costa Rica and the Pacific Ocean are rife with these interesting looking spadefish. Colloquially, it is also called the Striped Angelfish and in some places the Chrivita Chiva. The spadefish travels from Florida to the Bahamas to the Caribbean but most types reside only in the Pacific Ocean. The spadefish lives in areas like the coral reefs but sometimes also moves to mangroves and channels off the beaches of Costa Rica. It can even be found in some off shore places but usually, spadefish prefer the coral reefs at the bottom of the ocean. The spadefish is very interestingly shaped. It has a medium sized rounded body which has a deep curve on both ends. If the spadefish is examined in profile, its body remarkably resembles a garden spade which is how it got its name. The spadefish has prominent stripes on its body that start at the top of its fins and go down to the bottom of its body. The stripes starting at the dorsal, anal and posterior fin are long and thin. The color of the stripes on the spadefish\u2019s body is almost a pure black. The black color shines iridescently on the spadefish\u2019s scales. The rest of the body of the spadefish is colored a silvery grey or a metallic white. If the spadefish grows to an unusually large size, the stripes may either fade to being very light or disappear altogether, leaving only token markings on the scales. Some types of the spadefish have gleaming silver bodies with yellow stripes The average size of the spadefish is 2 \u2013 3 pounds, and in some rare cases it may even reach a weight of 10 pounds. <\/p>\n

The meat of the spadefish is preferred widely in a lot of areas in Costa Rica. The locals like the delicately flavored meat and fish often for the spadefish in seas and oceans surrounding Costa Rica and nearby places. The fishermen have reported that when hooked, the spadefish fights fiercely to free itself, unlike some other fish which will just flop around as a token protest. The spadefish tries its level best to free itself from capture and get back into the sea unless left with no other option. These fish are famous for decorating aquariums all over the world. Children and adults alike prefer adding a spadefish to their fish tanks for pure attraction value and because of its amiable nature while existing with other creatures of the sea. Interestingly, the eyes of the spadefish are located in a very creative location: inside one of the bands that cuts across it\u2019s body in vertical lines. The reason for this is to disguise the eyes of the spadefish to guard them for predators who seek to blind the fish as a form of attack. Most divers and inexperienced snorkelers mistake these spadefish for angelfish because of their similar coloring and structure. The diet of the spadefish is made up of algae along with tiny invertebrates.<\/p>\n

Spadefish School – A Video<\/strong><\/p>\n