Leatherjacket & Co. join the tropical community of the Aquarium
Fifteen species of fish and invertebrates have recently been added to the Primorsky Aquarium collection of tropical marine life. While several newcomers are already familiar to our visitors, others will definitely surprise them.
For instance, the prickly leatherjacket, also known as the tasseled or leafy filefish.
“Each of these names suit the appearance of the fish,” - says Artyom Novikov, specialist of the Tropical Marine Species Department. “There are numerous tassel-like dermal appendages all over the fish’s body that provide effective camouflage. Its ‘military’ look is also created with dark longitudinal lines and blotches. Leatherjackets are rather ill-tempered. For a while we had to keep them in separate tanks in order to avoid constant fights.”
Another newcomer, the zebra moray, does not seem harmless, either. It has irregular close-set white bars all over the dark-colored body from the snout to the tail, often branching and forming an intricate pattern. The most remarkable physical trait of the zebra moray is its short strong jaws with dense pebble-like teeth used for crushing prey with hard shells. However, at the Aquarium zebra morays do not crush any shells, but happily eat salmon.