#Hawaiian reef fish toau movie
#Hawaiian reef fish toau Patch

The colorful parrotfish have an important role in the underwater ecosystem. Raccoon Butterflyfish are usually seen in pairs but even in shoals of hundreds up to depth of 60ft/18m. Their body is yellow and black, with a white headband and black stripes along the side and a white headband. They are named for their raccoon-like black face mask. Tip: Should you wish to see these beautiful fish in real life too, start planning your Hawaii vacation now, here are our island-specific guides to help:Īnother common reef fish species, Raccoon Butterflyfish -kīkākapu- live in a huge number on the Hawaiian reefs. They are called lauwiliwilinukunukuoi’oi, which is the longest known fish name in Hawaii! And not only their nose, but also their Hawaiian name is so long. This species, the Longnose Butterflyfish are not too big, but are easy to identify from their very long nose, yellow-black mask and black spot beneath the tail. They belong to the most typical reef fish. There are different Butterflyfish species in the Hawaiian waters. And the best is, that when you see Yellow Tangs, there is a high chance to see Green See Turtles too since Yellow Tangs use to clean the shells of this turtle species. The dish-shaped Yellow tangs usually swim in large schools. Also, this species can be familiar from Finding Nemo too for its role Bubbles. These species, Yellow tangs (Lau’ipala) are the fish that are commonly used to advertise snorkeling in Hawaii.

If you search for Hawaiian Fish names and pictures, you will probably notice that there are always bright yellow fish on the images.

#Hawaiian reef fish toau Patch

Achilles Tangs are easily recognizable: they are larger than most reef fish, on their dark body there is an orange teardrop patch before the tail and also a bright orange bar runs along the tail. Snorkelers can find this species in shallow reefs. If you love Greek history, then Paku’iku’i, Achilles Tang can be your favorite Hawaiian reef fish since this species got its name after Achilles, the Greek warrior. When they are approached, they flare out and rotate their fins. No matter what type of lionfish you see, note that never touch them. Usually lionfish become active after sunset, but there is a chance to see them during the day too. The green ones are smaller, grow about 6 inch long, common in shallow waters, while the red ones are a bit bigger, 7-8 inch long and usually live in deeper waters. In Hawaii, there are red and green lionfish. In Hawaii, these species, that are called dragonfly fish (honu pinao) are native and are a natural part of the reefs. They are beautiful but at certain places are very harmful to the local ecosystems. The invasive Lionfish are probably those species divers and snorkelers have a love-and-hate relationship with.

This is because when they are stressed, they can make pig-like sounds. The fun fact is that the local name of this Hawaaiin Reef Fish means ‘fish with nose like a pig’. They are usually shy and swim quickly away, but when protecting their nest, they become aggressive and can bite. Hawaii’s State Fish, Humuhumunukunukuapuaa, the multicolored, parallelogram body-shaped fish has a blue mustache, blue-black striped cap and a bright gold outlined ‘V’ right before the fan-looking tail.īesides their colorful appearance, they are easily recognizable from the way how they swim: they using their fins on their belly and back to push themselves forward in the water.ĭivers and snorkelers need to be careful with reef triggerfish. With a pretty large size (they grow over 8 inches) and wide, vertical black, yellow and white stripes, tall dorsal fin and tapered nose, Morish Idol belongs to the most common and easily recognizable Hawaiian reef fish and it is almost guaranteed that you will see some while snorkeling in any Hawaiian Island.

#Hawaiian reef fish toau movie

Known as Kihikihi in Hawaii, Morish Idol is a species that most people know from the animated sea movie Finding Nemo. Usually they are not shy, just hang around in the water hunting peacefully. Their normal color is gray, but can change their color to green and even yellow and add horizontal and vertical stripes to blend in with the environment.

Trumpetfish have a long body (like a trumpet) and they are so thin that from certain angles, they are not even visible in the water. These weird species look completely different than most common Hawaiian Fish. Trumpetfish (locally called Nunu) is probably one of the most interesting Hawaiian Fish name you find in this list.