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How can leaf fishes capture prey that is nearly as large as themselves?
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perciform
Bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus orientalis) in the waters near Japan.
Leaf fishes (family Polycentridae) are able to capture prey nearly as large as themselves due to specialized adaptations of their mouth and jaw structure. Specifically, these fishes possess large, protrusible mouths that are highly distensible, allowing them to engulf and consume prey that can reach up to two-thirds of their own body size.12
When hunting, a leaf fish typically drifts in quiet water, often mimicking a dead leaf to remain inconspicuous, before moving slowly toward its target and capturing it with a sudden, expansive gape of its mouth.3