All the fishes in the surgeon and tang family are so called because of the existence of razor-sharp ‘scalpels’ tucked into hollow sheaths at the base of the tail. When angry or afraid the fish can raise these devices at right angles to the body and, as a result of a threshing action of the tail, inflict terrible wounds on the body or fins of an adversary. These fishes will not hesitate to inflict the same sort of treatment on a human hand, so the greatest possible care must be exercised if handling a member of this group.

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