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Also called:
soldierfish
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squirrelfish
squirrelfish Blackbar Soldierfish (Myripristis jacobus).

squirrelfish

fish
Also known as: Sargocentron, soldierfish
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Squirrelfish
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SquirrelfishSquirrelfish (Sargocentron).
Behaviors of butterflyfish and squirrelfish
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Behaviors of butterflyfish and squirrelfishLearn about butterflyfish and squirrelfish.
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squirrelfish, any of about 70 species of large-eyed, colourful, tropical reef fish of the family Holocentridae (order Beryciformes). Squirrelfish are edible fish found throughout the tropics. They have spiny fins and rough, prickly scales; some also have a sharp spine on each cheek. Most squirrelfish are red in colour, and many are marked with yellow, white, or black. The largest species is probably Holocentrus spinifer, a Pacific squirrelfish growing about 60 cm (24 inches) long. Squirrelfish are carnivorous and nocturnal, hiding by day among the reefs.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.