Indian Ocean Walkman

The Indian Ocean Walkman (Inimicus didactylus) also sometimes referred to as a Demon Stinger or Devil Stinger is a strange little fish, similar to the scorpion and stone fishes. He is well camouflaged, typically lying partially buried on the sea floor or on a coral head, covering himself with sand and other debris to further hide himself. The Indian Ocean Walkman has a sharp venomous spine yet no known natural predators.

 

When disturbed by a diver, the Indian Ocean Walkman fans out its brilliantly colored pectoral and caudal fins as a warning, this is when he goes from strange and ugly looking to beautiful. Once dug in, this little guy is very reluctant to leave its hiding place. When he does move, he displays an unusual mechanism of subcarangiform locomotion — crawling slowly along the seabed, employing the four lower rays (two on each side) of its pectoral fins as legs, thus the term “Walkman”.

 

In Lipe these curious little fish can be found fairly often in the sandy patches between the reef. They are very photogenic, as they don’t like to move and are fascinating to look at.