Ordinary sunflower is a fish with an unusual body shape, which is its calling card. For scientists, it is interesting in that it has an amazing camouflage system that can hide it from numerous enemies. As for the fishermen, for them the sunfish is a wonderful trophy, so coveted and mysterious.
Ancient legend
In the west, the sunflower is known as the "fish of St. Peter." This is due to an ancient legend explaining the appearance of marvelous traces on her body. Thus, traditions say that the apostle loved to fish off the coast of the Sea of Galilee, throwing nets into bottomless waters. Once he caught a sunflower, so tiny and defenseless, that Peter took pity on him and sent him back to the sea.
The grateful fish returned to the apostle with a gold coin in his mouth, thanks to his generosity. Also, according to this legend, then two dark spots on the sides of the sunflower are the fingerprints of St. Peter. They serve as a symbol that the ancient ancestor of these fish was able to beg for mercy from the great apostle, for which the blessing fell on their entire family.
General view information
Who knows how much truth lies in these stories? After all, real evidence confirming their reliability has simply not been preserved. However, scientists know a lot about modern representatives of this species, since more than a dozen researchers have been studying them.
To begin with, sunfish is a member of the sunflower family. Their close relatives are perciform. Moreover, their habitat is truly impressive: these fish are found in the east of the Atlantic, off the coast of South Africa, along the coastal line of the Indian Ocean, as well as off the coast of China and Japan.
Appearance
Sunflower fish has a very unusual appearance, which is why it causes genuine interest among lovers of the underwater world. Her body is oval, strongly compressed on the sides. Perhaps it would be best to imagine her as a flounder, only compressed vertically. This form allows the fish to develop a high speed, which becomes its trump card both during attack and during flight.
Another notable asset is a spiky crest extending from the base of the tail to the head itself. In reality, these are two dorsal fins, but in some species they are completely interwoven into one. In addition, the sunflower should be frightened - and its crest immediately stands on end, exposing a row of sharp needles. Seeing such a vest of spikes, many predators do not dare to attack him, switching to a more flexible prey.
The size of the sunflower largely depends on the habitat. So, some subspecies of fish can reach 60-70 cm in length, while others barely outgrow the threshold of 15 cm.
Behavior features
Sunfish is a real hermit. She does not like to pack, and especially make friends among other inhabitants of the deep sea. She likes the dark nooks of a coral reef or the large hollows. It even happens that she settles at a depth of more than 200 meters, in order to completely protect herself from annoying neighbors.
It should also be noted that the sunfish is a chameleon. She is able to change the color of her skin, thereby disguising herself as an environment. This mechanism is useful for both defense and attack. True, her skin is not able to display all existing colors, all she can do is adjust to the current shade of water.
