These fins are made for walking.
An elusive fish that “walks” on its fins and gobbles up prey twice its size has made a rare appearance in Florida. Video of the bizarre denizen of the deep — known as a goosefish — is making waves in the scientific community, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
The viral encounter, recorded on November 19, was first posted to Facebook by the NOAA’s Office of Ocean Exploration and Research. In the clip, divers find a googly-eyed creature called a Schaefer’s Anglerfish, a species known for sitting statue-still while waiting to ambush passing prey. The oceanic oddity, which is relatively unknown, was discovered 3,100 feet underwater off the Dry Tortugas, an island group 70 miles west of the Florida Keys.
“From a distance, we thought it (the goosefish) was a rock, and imagine if you were a fish, a small fish, you wouldn’t even know,” mused the oceanographers in the video.
Even more peculiar, the slightly “chonky” goosefish is somewhat of a nautical clown car, able to “eat things almost twice its size,” according to researchers. The marine anomaly can even walk around the ocean floor using “modified back fins,” scientists said.
Once thought to be extremely rare, the goosefish is “becoming increasingly more known” as divers explore more of its habitat, per the video.
Facebook fish enthusiasts are pleased with the news, posting replies of “this one is truly special” and “amazing the species we don’t know about yet.”
National Geographic reports that there are more than 200 species of anglerfish, which live everywhere from a mile deep to close to the surface. The male anglerfish is notorious for latching onto the female while mating and spending the rest of his life pumping her with sperm.
Soucre: theguardian.com
