Bahamas Foureye Butterflyfish

The foureye butterflyfish (Chaetodon capistratus, also sometimes called the four-eyed butterflyfish) is a species named for its distinctive markings. It has a wide range, from the northeastern coast of the United States down to northern South America and the West Indies.

The foureye butterflyfish has a flat, disc-shaped body that helps it move quickly and with agility, and a thin, tapered mouth. This lets it easily navigate the sea grasses and reefs in which it makes its home. On one of the many Bahamas Snorkel Tours available, swimmers can spot the foureye butterfly fish by the patterns and markings that give them their name. Their coloration is a silvery gray, broken by vertical, chevron-shaped markings running from head to tail. Since they are typically between four and six inches in length, they are easy to spot by swimmers.

This species also features a large spot located near the tail that resembles an eye-- an evolutionary adaptation that may help them avoid predators. Since these fish also have a bar that covers their actual eye, it allows the large eye spot to draw the attention of an attacker. Anticipating that the fish will swim forward to avoid being attacked, predators often attempt to attack the area just in front of the eye spot (in reality, the area just behind the fish's tail). This allows them to swim away safely.

Foureye butterflyfish congregate in groups. Scientists think that their markings may help them identify each other, similar to a human's fingerprints. There's some evidence to support this, too-- after being separated from each other, fish present their sides to each other. This suggests that they may be investigating each other in order to "read" their markings and remember who is who.

Since the foureye butterflyfish tends to remain in relatively shallow waters from roughly six to sixty feet in depth, swimmers on Bahamas Snorkel Tours can spot them easily. These fish survive by grazing on coral polyps, particularly hexacorals like anemones. However, they are opportunistic feeders that will also readily consume fish roe, small crustaceans, and other foods they can catch with their thin, bristle-like teeth. Since they tend to stay very close to the reefs that provide them food and shelter, they can suffer from habitat loss when coral reefs become damaged or die off. Conscientious snorkelers should always be careful to avoid touching, breaking, or getting too close to coral reefs for this reason-- they are sensitive habitat areas that can be easily disrupted by human intruders.

The foureye butterflyfish is only one of the many beautiful and interesting fish that swimmers can observe in the wild during any of the Bahamas Snorkel Tours to choose from. These tours present avid snorkelers with a fantastic opportunity to view and photograph these fascinating animals in a way that a trip to an aquarium simply can't provide.