The vibrant, colorful hawkfish can often look like its sitting atop corals where it can survey its reef environment. Its large, skinless pectoral fins allow such advantage. It has a very large head and a somewhat thick yet elongated body.

A hawkfish’s dorsal fins have spines with trailing filaments and their pectoral fins are fairly large but do not have scales. They feed on small invertebrates and crustaceans by suddenly darting at their prey. Depending on the type of hawkfish species, males will mate with small groups of females called harems. But generally hawkfish tend to be solitary.

Hawfish can be found in the many coral reefs of the Indo-Pacific and on both sides of the Atlantic. Eggs released into the water hatch in approximately three weeks. The adult size hawkfish is usually between 7 and 15 cm.

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