Pencil-thin reef ghosts. Up to 1.5 metres of body, almost invisible side-on.
Cornetfish are extreme body elongation — up to 1.5 metres long but only a few centimetres in diameter, with a thin filament extending from the tail. They hover vertically in mid-water, perfectly camouflaged against sea fans or coral fronds, and ambush small fish that pass within range.
They can shift colour rapidly between greenish-brown (reef-edge camouflage), silver-blue (open water), and zebra stripes (alarm display). Close relatives to trumpetfish but more slender and pelagic-tending.
Common at Maldives, Andaman, Bali and Red Sea reef edges. Easy to miss until you train your eye for the long thin silhouette in mid-water.
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This species hasn't been logged at any of our partner sites yet — destination + season data will appear here once we've confirmed a reliable spot.
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