Fish
Lobotes Tripletail
Lobotes surinamensis
A big brown estuary and open-water drifter that mimics a floating dead leaf, named for the rounded dorsal and anal fins that make it look three-tailed.
Also known as driestert
- Typical size
- Attains 100 cm and 15 kg
- Habitat
- Estuaries and open water near floating objects
The tripletail is dark brown to greenish-yellow above and silvery-grey below, its soft dorsal, anal and tail fins so rounded and set so far back that the fish appears to have three tails. It attains a metre and around 15 kg, and ranges in our waters from the Kromme River at Cape St Francis northwards.
It is an odd fish in habit, entering estuaries but also drifting well offshore around floating objects. Juveniles lie on their sides and look remarkably like dead mangrove leaves, a disguise that fools both prey and predators. The flesh is excellent.