A collection of photographs depicting weird creatures in the sea, celebrating the incredible diversity of life.
The sea is very much a different place from that we know on land. Although some phyla (main taxonomic groups) have made the transition to the land, such as a primitive fish becoming the origin of amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals, and a slater-like creature which became the ancestor of the insects, most of nature's experiments in body form have stayed in the sea. Among these, the sponges, anemones and corals are well known. Having had ample time to evolve, some fishes have developed into strange creatures, admirable for their weirdness. In this article we'll have a closer look at them.
.
The frogfish belongs, with a number of other weird fishes
such as the flat-bellied goosefish, the toadfish and the batfish, to the
family of Antennariidae (antenna bearers) in the order of Lophiiformes
(crestfishes), to which the deepsea anglerfishes also belong.
Often bizarre in form, anglerfishes are also characterised by small gill openings and by limblike pectoral and in some species pelvic fins. The sargassum fish (Histrio histrio) is patterned very much like the sargassum weed in which it lives. It clings to the branches of algae with its prehensile (clutching) pectoral fins as it hunts for prey, which is sucked into the mouth with its powerful jaws and expandable cheeks. Frogfishes and toadfishes are very rarely encountered by divers although fishermen do catch them from trawls to 100m depth. See also a news article about this frog fish, on this web site. |
|
|
|
The pufferfishes (Tetradontidae) all have cylindrical
shapes and are able to puff their bodies up with water. They do so by closing
a flap over their gills and gulping water down their mouths. It is so funny
seeing them do so.
Pufferfishes have sharp bony jaws with which they can exert considerable force. Their skins have no scales. Most pufferfishes are highly poisonous, especially their digestive organs. Although it is possible by a skilled person to remove these organs without spilling their contents, as is a customary in Japan, pufferfishes or any part thereof should not be eaten. Their potent neuro-toxins have caused many deaths of those who challenged this wisdom, and others who were ignorant of it. Like triggerfishes and leatherjackets, pufferfishes do not swim with their tails but with their dorsal and anal fins, which are well set back on their bodies. This gives them the advantage of double propulsion and high maneuverability. Pufferfishes can, with ease, swim forward and backward, stand on their heads or tails, and so on, which allows them to find food where others can't reach. |
|
The porcupine fish (Allomysterus jaculiferus)
belongs to the family of Diodontidae, which is related to the pufferfishes.
Like pufferfish, the porcupine fish can inflate itself, and become a large
ball of up to 50cm diameter, with its spiny scales sticking out in all
directions. The porcupine fish has a large head with beautiful large eyes,
which make it so endearing to meet. When approached carefully, the porcupine
fish can be taken in one's hands. When poked a little, it will inflate
itself by gulping large gulps of water. Fully inflated it does not feel
hard to the touch, but soft and silky, except for its spines. These are
in themselves little miracles of adaptation, in the way they consist of
four prongs, one of which stands outside the skin. The other three allow
the scale to be firmly implanted in the skin, while allowing it to swivel
out of harm's way. This arrangement also prevents the fish from being stung
by its own spines.
Porcupine fishes have cute mouths consisting of strong bony plates with which they can crush shellfish. Their large eyes can rotate freely to look forward like mammals do, and backward as well. |
|
Seahorses have evolved an amazing method of getting babies.
It took mammals a long path from a fish-like creature, to develop four
legs, internal fertilisation and child bearing followed by breast feeding.
Seahorses have evolved quite separately, to their own version of internal fertilisation and child bearing. The male has a brood pouch and this distinguishes it from the female who does not have one. When ready to mate, they court one another in a long and affectionate courtship dance, synchronising their body and snout movements. It is fascinating and endearing to watch. Swimming rapidly up and down in the water column, they need about one metre of space, which is not often found inside aquaria. The female then sits on top of the male's inflated pouch and squirts a small quantity of red jelly, containing a few hundred eggs, into its opening. Fanned by two tiny belly fins inside its pouch, the male not only inflates its belly, but spreads the jelly around. Each egg then attaches to the pouch's internal lining, and develops a kind of placenta by which it takes food from the father. Each egg grows a hundred times until a true baby seahorse of 20mm leaves the father's pouch. They immediately rise to the surface to find planktonic animals to feed on. The father is left behind with hundreds of tiny wounds which run the risk of infection. Seahorses have a unique method of catching prey. Their long snouts have only tiny mouths. Their gill covers have developed into muscular bellows with which they can suck fiercely. While also snapping their necks, little shrimps and other crustaceans are swallowed with the sound of a loud click. |
|
|
|
|
|