ICONIC FISHES YOU CAN FIND IN MAURITIUS

What special fish can be found in Mauritius?

 The Indian Ocean, and more precisely Mauritius, still has many unexplored underwater areas, and is still full of well-kept secrets and special/emblematic fish that will not fail to surprise you...This article aims to make you discover some of them, and maybe, who knows, to make you want to come and dive with us soon!

01. Mauritian clownfish, or  Mauritian anemonefish (Amphiprion chrysogaster)

Following the successful animated film "Nemo's World", it is difficult to remain unaware of the famous clown fish. However, in Mauritius, we are lucky enough to have a very particular species of clownfish, black and white with yellow/orange fins, unlike Nemo who is orange and white. This one is an endemic species! It usually lives between 2 and 40 meters deep and measures between 9 and 15 cm.

02. Scrawled butterflyfish or Meyer's butterflyfish (Chaetodon meyeri)

Among the category of butterfly fish, in Mauritius we are lucky enough to host the very elegant Meyer's butterflyfish. Silver in colour and adorned with black lines and yellow borders, it will not leave you indifferent! It can measure up to 20 cm and live between 5 and 25 m deep. During the day it feeds by tearing off pieces of coral with its small teeth. Juveniles are rather solitary, whereas adults usually live in couples.

03. Ribbon eel, Leaf-nosed moray eel or Bernis eel (Rhinomuraena quaesita)

Although moray eels are a well-known and widespread species throughout the world, in Mauritius we are lucky enough to be home to what is known as the "ribbon moray". So called because they swim in large undulations like a ribbon, they have nasal appendages in the form of translucent horns and three barbels at the end of the lower jaw.