goatfish
noun
goat·fish
ˈgōt-ˌfish 
: any of a family (Mullidae) of medium-sized often brightly colored bony fishes having two long barbels under the chin, and elongate body, and two widely separated dorsal fins compare red mullet
Examples of goatfish in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Each group included a big blue octopus (Octopus cyanea) and multiple fish species, including blue and yellow goatfish, blacktip grouper, and lyretails.
—
Byhannah Richter, science.org, 23 Sep. 2024
When hunting in a group with goatfish, however, octopuses conducted fewer, longer web-overs, and were much more likely to target structures containing a tasty morsel.
—Byhannah Richter, science.org, 23 Sep. 2024
That suggests the goatfish may be helping octopuses identify hot spots for food, enabling them to save energy while covering more ground.
—Byhannah Richter, science.org, 23 Sep. 2024
These fish use legs to taste the seafloor (link in description)
Watch on
This discovery wasn’t necessarily a surprise, as other types of fish, such as goatfish and catfish, have taste receptors on the barbels that protrude from their heads.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Sep. 2024
These hunting groups typically included several species of reef fish, such as grouper and goatfish.
—Evan Bush, NBC News, 23 Sep. 2024
And the fish—usually different kinds of goatfish—were freeloading.
—Ari Daniel, NPR, 23 Sep. 2024
Maui is popular for both offshore trolling (blue and striped marlin, yellowfin tuna, wahoo, mahi mahi) and bottom fishing (snapper, amberjack, hogfish, goatfish and more).
—Larry Olmsted, Forbes, 4 May 2023
But the goatfish are more sophisticated still.
—Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 24 Oct. 2011
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Byhannah Richter, science.org, 23 Sep. 2024
When hunting in a group with goatfish, however, octopuses conducted fewer, longer web-overs, and were much more likely to target structures containing a tasty morsel.
—Byhannah Richter, science.org, 23 Sep. 2024
That suggests the goatfish may be helping octopuses identify hot spots for food, enabling them to save energy while covering more ground.
—Byhannah Richter, science.org, 23 Sep. 2024
These fish use legs to taste the seafloor (link in description)
Watch on
This discovery wasn’t necessarily a surprise, as other types of fish, such as goatfish and catfish, have taste receptors on the barbels that protrude from their heads.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Sep. 2024
These hunting groups typically included several species of reef fish, such as grouper and goatfish.
—Evan Bush, NBC News, 23 Sep. 2024
And the fish—usually different kinds of goatfish—were freeloading.
—Ari Daniel, NPR, 23 Sep. 2024
Maui is popular for both offshore trolling (blue and striped marlin, yellowfin tuna, wahoo, mahi mahi) and bottom fishing (snapper, amberjack, hogfish, goatfish and more).
—Larry Olmsted, Forbes, 4 May 2023
But the goatfish are more sophisticated still.
—Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 24 Oct. 2011
Cite this Entry
“Goatfish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/goatfish. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
goatfish
noun
goat·fish
ˈgōt-ˌfish
: any of a family of medium-sized often brightly colored fishes having two stringy feelers under the chin
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