Recently I have been diving in the Gulf of Thailand and bumped onto the below creature. Luckily not literally
I have been searching in some books and identified it as a Tassled Scorpionfish. Anyone disagrees with it - please let me know what you think it is. Furthermore there were some discussions if it is one fish or two on top of eachother. Looks like one to me.
Hopefully anyone can help me.
Thanks. Bart

Hi,

it´s always hard to tell all these scorpionfish apart, so I cannot actually disagree. But it is definitely 1 fish. The supposedly second one (the smaller dark part on the top - I suppose) would be missing any side fins. I figure this belongs to the disguise strategy these fish use to “hunt” for prey, because it looks to the prey as if the fish is still further away.

So, one fish, no challenge on the ID.

Regards, Marc

I’m sorry, but I don’t agree… enhance the picture 400% and you will clearly see the mouth, eye,  body and tail of the smaller fish! I’ts also a scorpionfish, and the fact you can’t see the side fins does not mean it does not have any. Many times when they are at ease they fold their side fins so you can’t see them, for shure not from that angle.
ID, i have no idea…  there are so many of them! (scorpionfish I mean)

it’s a nice picture anyway!!!
Greetings,
Claudia

In some locations this is a scorpion fish, bud this is not the really true.
This is normaly the Stone Fish. Is a same family but different fish.
In any countrys one similar is de scorporae fish (for ex. in spain), and is good for the dinner.