Nusa Penida - List of fishes

This eel-like fish digs a tunnel in the sand leaving only the front of it body out. The garden eels live in a colony of several hundred individuals, where ocean currents carry the plankton on which they feed. At the slightest sign of danger, garden eels entirely hide in its shelter.

The bluestreak cleaner wrasse feeds exclusively by parasitically cleaning larger fish and turtles. In the reefs, it coordinates a cleaning station, typically near branching corals. Particularly active at the beginning of the day, these small cleaner wrasses clean the gills and mouths of many fish species.

The name 'unicornfish' refers to the protrusions found in adult individuals. These unicornfish inhabit the tropical waters of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Throughout their growth, these fish continuously change colors and patterns. They usually live in small groups, but large schools can form in areas with strong ocean currents.

Young orangespine unicornfish live near rocky reefs, in the company of other surgeonfish. As adults, these fish find their food, leafy brown algae, in coral or rocky areas. They usually live in small groups.

This large unicorn fish is a common inhabitant of lagoons and reefs with strong currents. Primarily diurnal, it feeds on brown algae like sargassum. It can be encountered in small groups or solitary.

Naso vlamingii, more commonly known as the bignose unicornfish, is a surgeonfish found in much of the Indo-Pacific. It has a bump above its mouth from which a blue stripe runs to the base of its eyes. It has the ability to make this stripe appear or disappear.

Easily recognizable by its shape and blue color, this triggerfish naturally lives in groups in the turbulent waters near coral reefs. During the breeding season, males and females pair up to build a nest. They fiercely defend this small territory against other fish species and, more broadly, against any intrusion, even human.

The juveniles of this species have very long fins. They often let themselves drift with the currents in all positions, so they look like dead leaves. Adults sometimes gather in huge schools.

At night, the yellowbanded sweetlips hunt benthic invertebrates in sandbanks and seagrass beds. During the day, they rest in the crevices and recesses of the reefs. This tropical species, which can grow over 70 cm, is targeted by fishermen in many Pacific Ocean islands.

The Emperor Angelfish is found from the Red Sea to the Great Barrier Reef. Juveniles hide under reef overhangs or in holes in outer lagoons, while adults prefer caves in coral-rich areas. These fish feed on sponges and form pairs for reproduction.

This dartfish is easily recognizable by its two-tone blue and black body. Like its counterparts, adults live in pairs in burrows they dig in the substrate.

The dark-banded fusilier is recognizable by its vibrant colors, with a pale pink to red underside and a green-blue upper part. This diurnal fish forms large schools in the coral reefs of the Indo-Pacific Ocean. Its primary diet consists mainly of plankton.