Weed Whiting
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Highly dependent on their camouflage, juvenile weed whiting tend to live amongst seagrass as they blend in perfectly. The weed whiting pictured here is in its juvenile stage, which is identifiable by the greenish brown colours on the top of its body and the whitish colour below.
Being a member of the Ocindae family, the weed whiting have the odacid distinguishing feature of fused teeth which gives them a parrot-like mouth. As the small fish grows, its colour changes.
Later in life, the weed whiting will have evolved into a blueish green colour, and the males can even be a bright sky blue.
Playing in the grass
Endemic to the Great Southern Reef, these fish are often found in schools along shallow seagrass beds and dense seaweeds on rocks. In addition to feeding on small invertebrates and algae, they also feed on the seagrass itself.
Fast Facts:
Species: Haletta semifasciata
Family: Odacidae (cales and weed whitings)
Order: Perciformes (perch-like fishes)
Feeding: Small invertebrates, algae and seagrass
Habitat: Shallow seagrass beds and dense seaweed on rocks
Distribution: Endemic to GSR
Special Power: Super camouflage
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