Gray Angelfish Identification

Video Transcript

"The marine organism we're going to identify now is the Gray Angelfish. Gray Angelfish are fairly common inhabitants of the coral reefs in the Atlantic, around the Bahamas, and in most of the Caribbean. Their bodies are gray in color but their scales often have a darker center, giving them sort of a speckled look. Their mouths are light gray. One of the most distinguishing characteristics of the Gray Angelfish is the yellow inner surface of their pectoral fins. Their tail will often have a pale to bluish transparent border. Their bodies are disk shaped and often about the size of a dinner plate. They most commonly are ten to eighteen inches long, with a maximum size of about two feet. They are often seen as solitary animals that can occasionally be found in pairs as they range across the reefs. Their depth range is ten to eighty feet. Grey Angelfish feed primarily on sponges but they will also be seen munching on tunicates, algae, gargonians, hydroids, byrozoans, and occasionally corral polyps. Grey Angel fish are monogamous, and the females lay eggs that are then fertilized by the male. Differentiation males from females in the wild however, is nearly impossible. Juveniles look completely different than the adults. They are black with three yellow stripes, and a squared off tail, and can be easily confused with the juvenile French Angelfish, which have similar coloration but have a rounded tail. Gray Angelfish are generally not afraid of divers and can often be closely approached. In fact, they will frequently swim by divers without giving them any regard, but if you approach them aggressively they will swim away quickly. That's the Gray Angelfish. "