The wrought-iron butterflyfish is the most metallic of all fish
Bec Crew
Bec Crew
Animal Crossing would have us believe that the black bass is the most metal fish in the ocean, but it doesn’t even come close to the wrought-iron butterflyfish. This fish looks like it’s been cast in silvery black iron, its patterning reminiscent of a newly forged sheet of chainmail.
Native to the western Pacific ocean, near central and southern Japan, the wrought-iron butterflyfish (Chaetodon daedalma) can grow to 15 cm long, which is half the length of the world’s biggest butterflyfish – the lined butterflyfish (Chaetodon lineolatus) and the saddle butterflyfish (Chaetodon ephippium), which can be found along the north, east, and west coasts of Australia.
While wrought-iron butterflyfish tend to move around in pairs or groups of three or five, lucky divers will occasionally come across a ‘wrought-iron ball’. This phenomenon occurs when huge numbers of the fish congregate to graze, undulating in tight formation, knowing they’re safer among hundreds than alone.
Despite experts noting their playful nature, one describing them as “one of the most personable butterflyfish there is,” their restricted range makes them a rare sight in collections and in the wild.
Here’s some footage, which shows just how cool those bright yellow fin-tips are:
The wrought-iron butterflyfish is unusual among the Chaetodon family of butterflyfish for their stark black colouration. Similar to angelfish, another large group of tropical marine fish, butterflyfish are typically characterised by their vibrant colours and striking patterning.
Australia is home to some fantastic species, such as the threadfin butterflyfish (Chaetodon Auriga) and the vagabond butterflyfish (Chaetodon vagabundus), both known for their distinct chevron patterns:
Then there’s the dusky butterflyfish (Chaetodon flavirostris), an east coast species with a smoky-grey-to-yellow transition similar to the wrought-iron butterfly fish’s colouring.
I’ll leave you with a species from further afield, out around Hawaiian Islands. This is the tinker’s butterfly (Chaetodon tinkeri), which barely even looks real:
