Biology
Hawkfish share the unusual feature of not having a gas bladder. The presence of that organ in most fish allows them to float in the water.
As a result, hawkfish tend to be bottom-dwellers, often seen to be perched motionlessly on branches of coral. They can also scale the coral thanks to the thick, unbranched rays of their pectoral fins.
The longnose hawkfish positions itself almost exclusively on orange-red sea fans among which it can easily hide.
It hunts by lying in wait for small fish and crustaceans.
