This colorful little blenny, about 1 1/2 inches long, was reluctant to emerge from its adopted home in the reef. After a few minutes I was able to get a view of this much of its head and body. Blennies are curious, territorial creatures and will follow a diver around the reef, hopping from perch to perch, perhaps hoping for a free meal from the disturbances created in the divers' wake. Blennies are bottom-dwellers, swimming just far enough to arrive at the next perch on the reef. Blennies look much like gobies,
though gobies generally have more of a pointed or sloped
head, and are from a different family classification,
scientifically speaking. A good page
listing the differences between blennies and gobies is maintained
by the British
Marine Life Study Society. Blennies all
have a long dorsal fin and pelvic fins (if any) that are near the
throat, with one spine and two to four rays. Identification: Unknown, family Blenniidae |