The Giant Frogfish (Antennarius commersoni) is the biggest of the various Frogfish species you can find in Lembeh Strait. And without doubt one of the most impressive ones. This critter can grow up to 30cm in size and comes in various colours: white, tan, brown, black, grey – but also more striking colourations like yellow, red, pink, green, blueish-grey or patched colour combinations like green-yellow. In Lembeh the yellow is most common.
Even though it is one of the “bigger” critters in Lembeh Strait, the Giant Frogfish is a master of camouflage. It mimics sponges and sits absolutely still while ambushing his prey: little fishes that seek shelter near the “sponge”. If you keep your eyes open you can spot the Giant Frogfish yourself – if not, one of our guides will do it for you. In Lembeh Strait he can be frequently seen on Coral dives like Nudi Falls, Goby-a-Crab, Makawide or Nudi Retreat. But also on classic Muck Dives like Jahir or TK. The Giant Frogfish can be found solitary as well as in pairs or occasionally even in smaller groups.
From a photographic point of view the Giant Frogfish is an extremely interesting subject. Once because it does not move and you can take your time to get the perfect shot. But mainly because of its size and its tendency to sit in exposed positions on sponges, walls or buoy lines. You can shoot the Giant Frogfish with a full range of lenses – starting from Macro lenses like a 60mm Macro (or a 100mm maybe for Face Portaits), Midrange Zooms, Wide Angle lenses or even full Fish Eye lenses. My favourite lens for shooting Giant Frogfish is the Fish Eye lens.
Categories: Creature FeatureCritters
