Some photos provided by YENNI LIONG-LAO, VICKY TAN-YAO, and ALVIN LAO
SPECIAL APPEARANCE OF A FLAT FELLOW
As we swam closer to the beach, I noticed from the corner of my eye a cloud of sand being blown up from the sea floor in an almost straight line. I knew from past experience that I was in the territory of a Tongue Sole. I was tempted to recruit this fella to be part of my photoshoot, but with Miss Slender’s safety in mind, I had to let the opportunity pass. It was quite funny, though, that we had the roundest Fish on the planet inside our net, and there beneath us lay the flattest Fish on the planet.
I have written about Flatfishes in Animal Scene’s September-October 2021 issue. All the fun memories about them came rushing back to my mind as we swam to our camp by the beach.
A few years ago, I got lucky and encountered both the Flounder and the Tongue Sole on the same night and at the same beach in El Nido. I usually encountered the Flounder in deeper waters, since they were bigger, stockier, and hunted bigger prey.
That same year at another beach in Bacungan, I was able to stalk and capture a big Flounder in waters four meters deep. Meanwhile, my daughters were able to catch a Tongue Sole at Bacungan beach in ankle-deep waters. As can be seen in the picture, the Flounder was much bigger than the Tongue Sole, who was themself a big specimen for their species. One can also see in the picture that a pail of seawater was nearby as a safety measure for our Fish guests.
EXPERTS IN HIDING
These Flatfishes like to submerge themselves in the sand with only their bulgy eyes sticking out to observe prey and predators. We can see in the pictures that the Flounder’s mouth is facing upward. This enables them to grab unsuspecting prey swimming by while they are hiding in the sand. Even when not submerged, the Flounder is difficult to differentiate from their sea floor background due to their color pattern.
Meanwhile, Tongue Soles like to stay in the very shallow part of the sea, where the waves roll up to the sand of the beach. Like the Rockskipper, they use this advantage to stay away from predators and forage for food. When startled, these flat Fishes will suddenly burst out of their hiding place in a cloud of sand and bury themselves again a short distance away.
This sudden movement and the cloud of sand they whip up will confuse predators, as well as spotters like me, so that it becomes difficult to pinpoint where they buried themselves. The Tongue Sole’s survival strategy is similar to that of the Rockskipper, staying just out of reach from sea and land hunters. If the wave is strong and rolls beyond the usual water line, this species of Tongue Sole actually stays behind inland, in the damp sand inches away from the water.
Through years of observation, I surmise that they like foraging in that section of the beach. They get to grab the good stuff on the sand as the tide rises, before any other Fish is able to reach them.
FOLLOWING THE WATER
Another type of Fish, the Bugaong or Crescent Grunter, also likes to follow the waves towards the beach. They ride the waves toward the unsubmerged sand to forage. As the waves recede, they follow them back into the sea.
Some overeager Bugaong left behind by the waves can be seen struggling to swim in the wet sand. It is a bit reckless for these Fishes, but they do know how to get back to the water quickly.
As for the Tongue Soles who are left behind on the damp sand, they are far from helpless. While any other stranded Fishes flip and wiggle towards the water, the Tongue Sole’s flat slippery body is strong enough and properly designed to swim on the damp sand. With the natural downward inclination of the sand towards the sea and with the help of gravity, they swim back very quickly.
It takes only a second or two for them to swim back from the damp sand to the water. Most beachgoers do not realize that the sudden line forming in the sand from the “dry” area to the water is made by a Tongue Sole getting out of the way of the trampling humans.
PEOPLE ARE SCARED OF THIS FISH FOR A REASON
Aside from the Tongue Sole, I also chanced upon a Scorpion Fish on my way back to the beach with Miss Slender. Now, this is a scary Fish to meet in the water.
This is the slender cousin of the Stonefish. When stepped on by unsuspecting beachgoers, the Scorpion Fish and Stonefish can inject venom through the needle-sharp spines on their dorsal fin into a person’s foot.
I have a good number of friends who have experienced first hand the wrath of these bottom dwellers. A doctor friend of mine described the pain as worse than being shot in the foot. She should know; she is a seasoned ER doctor accustomed to treating patients with all sorts of injuries, and she had the misfortune of stepping on a Scorpion Fish or Stonefish (she did not linger to find out) while on vacation here in Palawan. She administered all the anesthetics, painkillers, and nerve-blockers known to mankind, but none were able to alleviate the pain.
A mere mention of Scorpion Fish or Bantol will send locals off the water in seconds. Indeed, the venom and appearance of the Scorpion Fish can be scary. But in the water, the Scorpion Fish is actually a sight to behold. A bright ray of sunshine will reflect and reveal the Fish’s beautiful pattern of colors to anyone who is brave enough to gaze at this fatal beauty.
INTIMIDATING IN SIZE
Another scary but beautiful creature I encountered on the way back to the beach is, coincidentally, the Scorpion Shell or the Scorpion Spider Conch. I was taken aback by the size of this specimen. That was the biggest Scorpion Shell I have seen so far, with their span from tip to tip matching that of a dinner plate.
The size of objects and creatures are magnified by up to 34% when underwater, but I encountered this Scorpion Shell at a depth of less than two meters and at close proximity. It really scared me, because at the time, I was staring at a sea shell the size of a Dog.
With their scythe-like spines in full display, I had conflicting feelings of fright and delight. I cannot describe the excitement I felt for having encountered such a magnificent specimen. I then decided to bring the Scorpion Shell along with me for the photoshoot.
Scorpion Shells are called Ranga-ranga or Karang-karang by the locals. Interestingly, shells are called Kerang in Malaysia and Indonesia.
Scorpion Shells are called Ranga-ranga or Karang-karang by the locals. Interestingly, shells are called Kerang in Malaysia and Indonesia.
PREPARING FOR A PHOTOSHOOT
After the long swim, we finally got back to our camp.
The first thing I had to do was put Miss Slender in a spacious pail to calm her down. She was obviously annoyed and had already ballooned herself halfway to softball size.
The nice, cool water and the spacious pail did the trick. In just a minute, she deflated to her original slender self. I gently coaxed her to enter my yellow tabo. That would allow me to take a closer picture of her, and as can be seen in the tabo photo, she is indeed more slender than any of the other Puffers I had encountered so far.
We placed her back in the pail while we took pictures of the magnificent and gigantic Scorpion Shell. We then made preparations for the highlight of the photoshoot, which involved Miss Slender displaying the full radiance of her beauty.
We had to prepare our cellphone cameras and the “venues” of the shoot. Of course, all those venues were within the cottage of our camp. The preparation was to make sure that we could take a lot of pictures in different angles in the shortest time possible, so that Miss Slender would not be subjected to prolonged stress.
I recruited my wife Yenni and our two daughters to help me. With everything in place, it was finally showtime! With our advance apologies to Miss Slender, it was time to stir up her bad side.
REALITY BITES
I taught my youngest daughter Lilyrose how to handle Miss Slender to remove risks of injury for both of them. Puffers have very strong, beak-like teeth. This enables them to crack sea shells, Corals, and Crab shells in order to feed.
During my high school years, I handled a golf ball size Pufferfish a little too confidently. As I lifted the Puffer out of the water, he began to thrash angrily. When he bit down, his beak-like teeth bit skin and flesh clean off my finger.
Fortunately for me, he was a small Puffer, and the injury caused was minor. I had to bear the pain and not drop Mr. Angry Puffer onto the hard ground.
I had to run back to the sea with a bleeding finger so that I could let Mr. Angry Puffer go and I could also tend to my injury. As I put him back to the water, he did not dash to safety. He just swam away very slowly while giving me a nasty look: “You want some more, huh?”
Lilyrose, having been briefed of the risks, scooped up Miss Slender Puffer carefully. We had to scoop her up from the water before she inflated. If she inflated while in the water, she would become very heavy.
The weight of the ingested water would also put her in danger in many ways. She would be at risk of damaging her internal organs or rupturing her skin. A fall in this state would also surely kill her.
Fortunately, everything went as planned. Out of the water and annoyed, she inflated herself with air. Bam! The dull-looking lady finally showed her true colors. It was hard to believe that the off-white creature could actually burst into a brilliance of colors.
After the photoshoot, we set her down onto the sandy ground to appreciate her colors more. It was so wonderful to see a specimen this big who could still inflate herself into a perfect ball.
Satisfied with the few pictures that we took of Miss Slender, it was time to put her back down onto the pail of seawater. She stayed bloated for about two minutes. Obviously, she was really mad at us.
Fortunately, it was not that hard to calm her down. Soon enough, she was back to her slender self.
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED
It was a fulfilling day and I could not have asked for a better model for our photoshoot. I have come across dozens of Striped Puffers in my lifetime, and none were as brightly colored as Miss Slender.
I also did not expect to come across bonus models. I was so thankful that Mr. Scorpion Fish decided to pop out of his hiding place just at the right moment for me to spot him, and for Mr. Giant Scorpion Shell to manifest himself at the right place and time.
After thanking all my models, it was time to return them back to sea. Again with attitude, the feisty lady Pufferfish did not speed off to safety.
Rather, she swam off slowly while giving us the stare, as if to say, “I forgive you this time, but watch out the next time we meet.”
The Scorpion Fish swam off timidly. Like the poisonous Puffer, the venomous Scorpion Fish was not scared of anything. They could also stay out of water for a long time without dying, so this particular one was not bothered at all by the photoshoot. He swam off as if he just came from a really boring party.
As for me and my group, it was “mission accomplished” with two thumbs up. It was finally time to have our lunch and talk about each other’s adventure on the beach.
