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Today on Animal Fact Files we’re discussing spadefish. Spadefish get their name for their shape, however, it's worth noting that only the adults have this spade-like resemblance. Juvenile spadefish look nothing like their parents, instead trying to mimic leaves and seed pods floating in the ocean waves. There are about sixteen living, classified spadefish species although their taxonomy is poorly defined so this will likely change in time. They're sometimes referred to as batfish but this common name applies to many different fish species so we'll avoid using it here. These fish may also be called angelfish, however they're physically distinct from angelfish because true angelfish have only one dorsal fin!

Spadefish live in tropical and subtropical waters around the world. Most of the species occur in Indo-Pacific waters, but there is one species from the Atlantic ocean, aptly named the Atlantic spadefish! These vertebrates live in coral reefs, along rocky shores, over shipwrecks, and venture into bays. The adults are often silver in color with up to six black vertical stripes running down their sides, however these can fade over time. In size, they average about a foot long, though some individuals can more than double this!

Juvenile spadefish, on the other hand, or fin to be more precise, are dark and mottled in color, matching the pattern of a dead leaf. Young spadefish are more commonly seen along sandy beaches, in mangrove estuaries, or even in brackish water lagoons, but they're more difficult to spot. These little fish are specifically trying to trick the eye of potential predators by allowing themselves to be gently pushed back and forth by the waves like a floating leaf. It isn't until they reach about half their adult size about a year after hatching that they're reproductively mature.

Spadefish are believed to live about a decade in the wild. There's little known about their breeding behavior however they're believed to be pelagic spawners with males and females releasing sperm and eggs into the water column simultaneously. A single female can produce upwards of a million eggs during a spawning event and these are fertilized externally. It takes about a day for the larvae to hatch and a few more days to weeks for them to resemble other  juveniles. 

Spadefish help coral reefs by eating away the layers of algae that form on bleached parts of the reef. They also sponges, tunicates, jellyfish tentacles and more. In turn, sharks and other large fish, such as triple tails, eat spadefish adults and juveniles alike. To help prevent predation, spadefish travel in large shoals that can number anywhere from a handful of members to over 500 individual fish!

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