A group of bigscale soldierfish (Myripristis berndti) hides in a small cave in the coral reef during daylight hours. At night, under the cover of darkness, they will venture from their safe refuge to feed on small crustaceans and large planktonic organisms. Their very large eyes are capable of gathering sufficient light to see in the dim nighttime realm.  

The calligraphy on this piece means “sharing together danger and safety,” roughly equivalent to the English expression “stick together through thick and thin.”

This fish is found throughout the Indian and Pacific oceans.  It is the most common soldierfish found in Hawaii and is called the ‘u’u in the native Hawaiian tongue.  

Size:  34 x 24 inches  (2006)

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