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[Big Fishes] [Macro] [Endemic species] [Other] [Land creatures]
■Scientific name：Sphyraena qenieWatch video here. Often congregates close to the surface. Its tail fin is like the Japanese letter "く", and it's distinguishable because it's black. In the Similan Islands others types such as barracuda and pickhandle barracudas can be found. At 0.5-1m long, it's carnivorous and actively searches for small fish. Found off Richelieu Rock and Koh Tachai.
■Scientific name：Caranx sexfasciatusWatch video here. Often congregates close to the surface. The top of its gill cover is black, distinguishing it from others. Popular among divers and known as the Queen of Horse Mackerel.Seen off Koh Tachai and Richelieu Rock.
■Scientific name：Gymnosarda unicolorWatch video here. Gets its name from its sharp teeth. Most tuna are migratory but this one is coastal and fixes itself to rocks. At 1m - 2m long, it's seen off Similan Island 7, Koh Bon and Koh Tachai.
■Scientific name：Platax teiraWatch video here. Distinguished by the black spot underneath its pectoral fin. Orbicular batfish and Dusky batfish can also be seen. A popular species that even engages in courtship behaviour with divers.At 0.5m - 1m long, it's seen around Island 8 and Koh Tachai.
■Scientific name：Lutjanus lutjanusWatch video here. Shoals are so big and tightly packed that if you swim through, you can lose sight of your buddy. It's a beautiful yellow species but surprisingly carnivorous and eats any small animal that fits into its mouth. At 0.2m - 0.5m long, it's a highlight of the Similan Islands,in particular off Koh Bon and Richelieu Rock.
■Scientific name：Caesio lunarisWatch video here. Those off the Similan Islands have a black tail fin and are generally blue. Stunning under light. At 0.2m - 0.5m long, they're seen around the Similan Islands, Koh Bon and Koh Tachai.
■Scientific name：Caranx melampygusWatch video here. Gets its name from small black dots on its silver body and its blue fins. Found along reefs in the Similan Islands as well as West Ridge off Koh Bon and Twin Peaks off Koh Tachai. Dozens of them in shoals chasing small fish are very impressive to watch.
■Scientific name：Mulloidichthys vanicolensis,Mulloides vanicolensis Watch video here. Gets its Japanese name akahimeji because it looks yellow underwater but turns red (aka) when fished out. Found along the reefs of the Similan Islands.
■Scientific name：Pterocaesio tileWatch video here. Blue-white overall and extremely beautiful thanks to a fluorescent blue line running from behind the eyes to the tail fin. Found around the Similan Islands, Koh Bon, Koh Tachai and the middle of Richelieu Rock.
■Scientific name：Pterocaesio randalliWatch video here. Looks like a Redfin Fusilier but distinguished by a yellow line over the top of its head and body. Seen around the Similan Islands, Koh Bon, Koh Tachai and middle of Richelieu Rock.
■Scientific name：Caesio xanthonotaWatch video here. Looks like a Redfin Fusilier but distinguished by a yellow line over the top of its head and body. Seen around the Similan Islands, Koh Bon, Koh Tachai and middle of Richelieu Rock.
■Scientific name：Elagatis bipinnulataWatch video here. Huge at 1 - 1.8m long.Looks like a yellowtail. Main features are the yellow at the side of its body and two turquoise blue bands. Usually swims fast without forming shoals but also swims next to huge species like whale sharks.
■Scientific name：Heniochus acuminatusWatch video here. Looks a lot like a Common Bannerfish, but characterized by its huge shoals.Found around the Similan Islands, Deep Six off Island 7 and Elephant Head Rock.
■Scientific name：Heteroconger hassiWatch video here. Said to have got its name because its face looks like a Japanese Spaniel. Sticking partly out of the sand in relatively shallow waters, it eats plankton that drifts by. Another species called the Spaghetti Eel can be seen around the Similan Islands and at 30m or so in Anitas Reef off Island 5,
■Scientific name：Gorgasia maculataWatch video here. So-called because it slides out of the sand like spaghetti. Lives at deeper depths than the Garden Eel and is only found at areas deeper than 20m. Easy to photograph as it tends not to disappear even if approached. Found in sandy areas around the Similan Islands.
■Scientific name：ApogonidaeWatch video here. Representative of the Similan Islands and found at any dive site. They are all extremely small.Looking closely, you can see that it's transparent with its bones clearly visible. Forms shoals over the rocks along the reefs. Scenes of the them sparkling against the sunlight are particularly beautiful.
■Scientific name：Priacanthus hamrurWatch video here. Main features are its big eyes and upward-facing mouth. Usually white but turns red when excited.Found around the Similan Islands off Shark Fin Reef at Island 3 and Three Trees at Island 9.
■Scientific name：Acanthurus triostegusWatch video here. Characterised by its yellow body and black lines.Often forms shoals in relatively shallow areas. Found around the Similan Islands between Deep Six and East of Eden off Island 7.
■Scientific name：Lutjanus kasmiraWatch video here. Characterised by its yellow body and four white lines.Often forms shoals over shallow waters with coral reefs.Found around the Similan Islands off Shark Fin Reef at Island 3 and Anitas Reef at Island 5.
■Scientific name：Lethrinus olivaceusWatch video here. Usually grey but patchy patterns appear when excited or feeding. Often feeds in shoals during the morning and evening and is sometimes accompanied by Napoleon fish or Bluefin Trevally.Found around the Similan Islands at Anitas Reef off Island 5 and Christmas Point off Island 9.
■Scientific name：Gnathanodon speciosusWatch video here. At 1.2m long, young fish are yellow with black lines. As it grows, it becomes silver, its lines turn pale and black specks form on its body.Found in shoals off Twin Peaks at Koh Tachai.
■Scientific name：Gnathodentex aureolineatusWatch video here. Has several yellow lines on its body and a yellow mottled pattern near the tail fin. Often forms shoals in relatively shallow areas such as coral reefs.Found around the Similan Islands off Shark Reef at Island 3, Anitas Reef at Island 5 and Deep Six at Island 7.
■Scientific name：Lutjanus biguttatuWatch video here. For a Red Snapper family member this species isn't so big and tends to form quite large shoals. Its main feature is the thick white line on its brown body. Two white specks stand out but it actually has three. Although it has a Japanese name, it's not found in Japanese waters. It's about 20cm long and found in shallow parts of Richelieu Rock.
■Scientific name：Siganus javusWatch video here. Often seen on dives, it gets its name because its eyes look like those of rabbits. Its dorsal fin contains poison. It's around 50cm long and is found around the Similan Islands and off Richelieu Rock.
■Scientific name：Sphyraena flavicauda RuppellWatch video here. A small barracuda often found in shoals around coral reefs in shallow waters. Gets its name from the yellow on its tail fin. Barracudas often give the impression of swimming round and round but this one swims in thick shoals. At 20-50cm long, it's seen off Beacon Reef and the shallow waters of Richelieu Rock.
■Scientific name：Myripristis berndtiWatch video here. Big like a Red Snapper with huge, bulging bug-like eyes. It's nocturnal and rests in shoals in dark areas such as the inside of caves or rock crevices at sites with walls, such as West Ridge and Richelieu Rock.
■Scientific name：-Watch video here. Although a member of the Caesionidae family,its body is round like an egg.Only its head is yellow, and it swims with others of the same species.
■Scientific name：Rastrelliger kanagurtaWatch video here. Sometimes seen swimming in shoals over surface to medium depths at the outer edges of coral reefs where water flow is good. Scenes of it opening its huge mouth while swimming are particularly dramatic. This is how it feeds, by taking in plankton and forcing water out through the gills. Its main feature is its black spots behind its pectoral fins.In Southeast Asia it's a important marine product that's often fished in large numbers.
■Scientific name：Pseudanthias squamipinnisWatch video here. Forms huge shoals where water flow is good, such as outer slopes of coral reefs and rocks. It gets its Japanese name from its goldfish colour.Forms harems with a roughly 1:8 ratio of males and females.Changes sex and divers can often see outward displays such as courtship dances.
■Scientific name：Kyphosus cinerascensWatch video here. Looks like a Brassy Chub but can be distinguished by the position of its mouth and differences in dorsal fin and tail.
■Scientific name：Parapriacanthus ransonnetiWatch video here. Forms huge shoals under overhangs or between coral reefs. Thanks to its yellow face, its black eyes are bright and clear.
■Scientific name：-Watch video here. Distinguished by its silver body, bright yellow line and black spots at the tips of its tail. Tends to form shoals at medium depths around the Similan Islands. Relatively small among fusilier species.
■Scientific name：Paraluteres arquatWatch video here. Often seen in shoals. Distinguished by a yellow band on its side. Looks like a Big-eye Scad, but its yellow band stretches over the top of its eye.
■Scientific name：Sphyraena jelloWatch video here. Unlike Blackfin Barracudas, this species has a yellow tail fin. It doesn't form huge shoals and can be found alone.Also called Yellowfin or Yellowtail Barracuda. Found from Koh Tachai to Richelieu Rock.
■Scientific name：Odonus nigeWatch video here. Because it's black, it's not easily seen when swimming with several others but is very easy to spot when swimming in shoals.Gets its Japanese name from its red teeth.Found from the Similan Islands to Richelieu Rock.
■Scientific name：Sargocentron rubrumWatch video here. Extremely dangerous because spines on its dorsal fin secrete a strong poison. Catches small fish while hiding in rocky areas. Like the English word Stone, it's a master of camouflage and can look just like a rock.Found between the Similan Islands and Richelieu Rock.
■Scientific name：Rachycentron CanadumWatch video here. Can grow up to around 1.5m in length. Grows quickly and like a Suckerfish, forms shoals and accompanies bigger species like whale sharks and manta rays.Found between Koh Bon and Richelieu Rock.
