Tara’s Fave Fish Friday – Old Wifes

Welcome to Tara’s Fave Fish Friday! Where we explore one of Tara’s favorite fish from the Solitary Islands Marine Park.
Today’s fave fish is the Old Wife – Enoplosus Armatus
These fish are really close to my heart! We see them on most dives at the Solitary Islands cruising about, almost always in a pair, and sometimes but rarely in a school. I learned a few things about Old Wifes doing up this post, they can grow up to 25cm – I’ve only seen them up to 15cm in the Solitary Islands Marine Park! They have sharp spines on dorsal and anal fins, and the dorsal spines contain poison which can cause severe pain. Don’t mess with Old Wifes!
I find these guys generally a little hesitant – they wouldnt often be near enough to me to capture a close video like the one in the instagram and facebook posts. They don’t dart away and hide as such, but don’t usually sit still and let you approach them like this.
Check out a video of these fish on our instagram and facebook!
 
Sources:
Enoplosus armatus – SURG.org.au
Photo by Tara, 25/10/2021.