How to Identify French Angelfish

Series Summary

Scuba diving will be one of the most exhilarating experiences of your life. You will actually be swimming with sea creatures in their own habitat. Sure, snorkeling is fun, but scuba diving is the real deal: total immersion in an alien environment. Part of the thrill of diving is getting to know this environment and its inhabitants. The ocean presents an amazing variety of aquatic life, each fish their own name and characteristics.

In this free series of scuba diving videos, an experienced diver will tell you how to identify several fishes common in the Caribbean sea. Don Stark will describe each fish, then show you footage of each of the fish as he tells you more about them. See clips of a variety of angelfish, as well as the parrotfish, the fairy basslet, the white margate, the blug tang, as well as the dreaded barracuda. Watch these clips and enjoy your next dive more!

Video Transcript

"The fish that we are going to identify now is the French Angelfish. French Angelfish are common coral reef inhabitants and can be found in Florida, its Keys, and most parts of the Caribbean. French Angelfish adults are fairly large, ten to fourteen inches in length and nearly as tall. They are sort of dinner plate shaped. The distinctive characteristic of a French Angelfish is the bright yellow rim around it's scales, it also has a bright yellow ring around it's eye. All the French Angelfish's fins are black except for the pectoral fins which have a yellow base. French Angelfish can be distinguished from Gray Angelfish by the Gray Angelfish's lack of yellow around it's scales and by the Gray Angelfish's yellow pectoral fins. You will often see French Angelfish swimming in pairs over the reef. They are usually unafraid of snorkelers and divers and can often be closely approached if you move slowly toward them. And that's the French Angelfish."