Description

A favorite among photographers when talking about Frog Fish is this guy, commonly referred to as the Clown Frog Fish. Many mistake Clown Frog Fish for a different species but are part of the larger family of Warty Frog Fish, grouped under the ‘Antennarius maculatus’ classification.

They tend to be a favorite for photographers because of the bulbous mode on their front flap between the eyes, at the right angle when you look at them the bulb looks very much like a giant clown nose, hence their more common name. Clown Frog’s also have rather distinct coloring, usually being extremely white with red or orange blotches, or, bright yellow with darker red blotches. As they grow they lose the uniformity in their colors and start to look more like your normal Warty Frog Fish.

This guy was sitting on a wall at about 35 Meters on Apo Island in the Philippines, I used up all my bottom time taking photos of him because he was in a horrible position. He was pretty much on an under-hang of the wall, which meant I had to get underneath him and try not to hit him with my bubbles as I exhale, which requires some tricky breathing.