Ugly Animals: Ugly Fish

Showing posts with label Ugly Fish. Show all posts

Climbing Fish

As per ScienceDaily, a new species of fish from tropical South America is confirming suspected roots to the loricariid catfish family tree. Lithogenes wahari shares traits with two different families of fish: the bony armor that protects its head and tail, and a grasping pelvic fin that allows it to climb vertical surfaces.

The discovery of both of these characteristics in Lithogenes suggests to ichthyologists Scott Schaefer of the American Museum of Natural History and Francisco Provenzano of the Universidad Central de Venezuela that the common ancestor of the Loricariidae and Astroblepidae probably could grasp and climb rocks with its tail and mouth.

It took years to pin down where the fish was found, but the team collected L. wahari after several trips further and further into the headwaters of the Río Cuao, a tributary of the Río Orinoco. They literally picked 84 specimens off of rocks.

Well, this is how it looks... Not so pleasant but interesting!

Ugly Animals - Climbing Fish

Hagfish

This is definitely one fish that I would not want to catch with my fishing rod and you will see why in a few seconds.

The weird and wonderful hagfish has managed to capture the interest of scientists since the 1700s but we still know very little about this animal. The hagfish was scientifically described in 1753 by one of the disciples of Carl von Linné, a Swede named Per Kalm. In 1747, Per Kalm left the Swedish town of Uppsala. His ultimate destination was North America, but boat repairs forced him to stay a while in Grimstad, Norway where he found hagfish. Thinking it was a blind lamprey, Kalm wrote down his observations and later shared them with Linné. The description can be found in his “En resa till Norra America” (A Journey to Northern America) from 1753. Linné discussed the strange “lamprey” with Norwegian Bishop and naturalist Johan Ernst Gunnerus and they both classified it as a worm. In 1763, Gunnerus wrote about the creature and he then referred to it as a Sleep-Marken. During last decade of the 18th century the animal got its own scientific name – Myxine glutinosa – and was placed in the roundmouth family. Today we know that Myxine glutinosa, commonly known as the Atlantic Hagfish,is only one of many species in the large hagfish family Myxinidae. There are currently 67 described species of hagfish and the number might very well increase as the bottoms of our oceans become more thoroughly explored.

The hagfish can turn 20 Litres (5 Gallons) of water into slime in a matter of minutes.

Ugly Animals - Hagfish

Goblin Shark

Slow, silent, and slender, but not necessarily small - the goblin shark can be as long as a small car - about 12.6 feet (3.85 meters). Only a few goblin sharks have ever been found. Except for one small one 3.5 feet, the rest ranged from from 10 to 12.6 feet. The largest found weight 463 pounds (210kg)

Though only less than 50 (according to one source) have been found, it seems they may be found in many of the world’s oceans. They've been found off the coast of Japan, Australia, California, the Atlantic near Portugal, South Africa...and other places. Goblin sharks thrive in the dark deep sea at depths between 885 feet (270m) and 3149 feet (960m), one as deep as 4265 feet (1,300m).

Since goblin sharks live at the bottom of the water, they tend to feed on the organisms that are also down there. That includes sting rays, mollusks, and crabs. In some areas they are also able to eat squid. They do feed quite frequently which is interesting. The goblin shark has a very large liver which is usually found in sharks that don’t eat very often. Oil is stored in it and therefore they can live off of it in between feedings.

The reproductive process of the goblin shark hasn’t been well observed. Since they live so deep in the water it is hard to know how the process is taking place. It is believed the females carry eggs inside of them that then hatch and they babies are expelled from the body. This isn’t known for sure though and researches continue in their quest to capture a pregnant goblin shark so they can find out for sure

Ugly Animals - Goblin Shark

Pleco

These common algae eaters are known for their unique, suction-cup-shaped mouth. Aquarium experts will recommend them to any fish-keeper with an algae problem in their tank. The way they attach themselves to glass and rock never ceases to amaze.

Pleco is the common name for Catfish species in the Family Loricariidae. The name Pleco is derived from the Latin name of one of the species in this family, the Hypostomus plecostomus, and is today widely used even for the other species in this family. The Family Loricariidae is also known as the Armored Catfish family, since the fish in this family display longitudinal rows of scutes over the upper parts of the head and body, and this pattern is somewhat similar to an old armor.

Plecos are very popular aquarium fish, even for beginners. They can help keeping unwanted algae growth under control in the aquarium, since algae and plant material are their staple foods in the wild. If you want to read more about how to care for your Plecos we suggest that you read some of the featured articles below.

Ugly Animals - Plecos

Stargazer Fish

As per WikiPedia,

The stargazers are a family Uranoscopidae of perciform fish that have eyes on top of their heads (hence the name). The family includes about 50 species in 8 genera, all marine and found worldwide in shallow waters.

Stargazers are venomous; they have two large poison spines situated behind the opercle and above the pectoral fins. Some species can also cause electric shocks. They have an electric organ consisting of modified eye muscles. They are one of the few marine bony fishes that are electrogenic. They are also unique among electric fish in not possessing specialized electroreceptors

The stargazer fish eat a variety of other fishes and invertebrates like crabs present in the marine water for its survival. They hide themselves under the sand and keep a watch on their prey. Their body color also helps them to camouflage with their surroundings. As soon as they find a prey nearby, they jump upwards to catch hold of it. Another technique is where they use the appendage attached to its lower lip. As it appears like a worm, they quiver it to attract the prey. Then the prey, assuming it as a worm, moves towards it. As it comes near the mouth, the fish create a vacuum inside the mouth and suck in the prey fish. Thus, the prey enters into the open mouth of the stargazer.

The breeding season for the stargazer fish is spring and summer. They lay their small transparent eggs on the bottom of the sea. Later, the eggs float to the surface of the water and hatch into larvae of stargazer fish. They remain on top of the water, until it reaches the size of 12 - 15 millimeters in length. At this stage, they can swim to the bottom of the water, where they grow up into matured adult stargazer fish.

How I wish I could see one of these for real before I die!

Ugly Animals - The Stargazer Fish

Viperfish

Friends, I know I have not been active lately on my blog but I had some personal to sort out. I hope you did not get bored without me writing about new ugly animals every day or Did you? :)

Well, today I got a really strange, weird and ugly fish called as the Viper Fish. I myself am a pure vegetarian but if I ever develop a taste for fishes I would never even want to try this one out though I am not sure if this is edible.

One of the ugliest deep-sea creatures is the Viper fish. The viper fish has a huge mouth filled with razor sharp teeth. Its teeth are so big that they do not even fit inside the fish's mouth! The viper fish uses its teeth to grab its victims. Its head can flip up so it can swallow large prey.

Viperfish live far below the ocean's surface where there is no sun light. Their bodies make their own light. They use this light to attract prey.

The Viper Fish lives in tropical and temperate waters at depths of 1500 m although like a lot of deep sea creatures it vertically migrates to around 500 m at night to feed on crustaceans and other small fish, luring them with a long rod like organ with a flashing light on the end. The viperfish grows up to 60cm long and is believed to live for over 15 years.

I initially confused this Viper fish for a Fangtooth Fish but then realized that these two are not one and the same.

Ugly Animals - Viper Fish

Lizard Fish

The Lizard fish is found both Inshore & Offshore but both are different species. The Offshore variety being much smaller. They are distributed throughout Florida, the Bahamas and the Caribbean. The Inshore Lizard fish is coastal. The Inshore Lizard Fish is larger than it's counterpart and is usually 15 to 16 inches in length. World Record is 2 lbs.

As per Wiki,

The Lizardfishes (or typical lizardfishes to distinguish them from the Bathysauridae and Pseudotrichonotidae) are a family, the Synodontidae, of aulopiform fish. They are found in tropical and subtropical marine waters throughout the world.

The species is not targeted and is usually caught when fishing for other species. They can be classified as a nuisance and will tackle any size plug without a problem.

Some people call this Lizard fish as a smaller predator fish that lives in the depths of the water. They are found throughout the world. The Lizard Fish has a very short dorsal fin, a small fatty second dorsal fin and a caudal fin which bursts a very deep fork in it.

Lizard fish are what is known as an ambush predator, which will sit on the bottom and wait for their prey to come tot hem before grabbing it in very sharp toothed jaws.

Ugly Animals - Lizard Fish

Angler Fish

Are you looking like something out of a science fiction movie? the angler fish uses a natural lure to draw its next meal nearer.

One of the ocean's strangest looking fish of all is the deep-sea angler fish. The deep-sea angler fish is known scientifically as the Melanocetus johnsoni and is one of the deep ocean's most well known residents. The angry-looking deep sea angler-fish has a right to be cranky. It is quite possibly the ugliest animal on the planet, and it lives in what is easily Earth's most inhospitable habitat: the lonely, light-less bottom of the sea.

As Wikipedia says,

Anglerfishes are members of the teleost order Lophiiformes. They are bony fishes named for their characteristic mode of predation, wherein a fleshy growth from the fish's head (the esca or illicium) acts as a lure; this is considered analogous to angling.

Their most distinctive feature, worn only by females, is a piece of dorsal spine that protrudes above their mouths like a fishing pole—hence their name. Tipped with a lure of luminous flesh this built-in rod baits prey close enough to be snatched. Their mouths are so big and their bodies so pliable, they can actually swallow prey up to twice their own size.

Any fish which passes before the angler fish’s eyes can be its prey. Anglerfish’s diet is filled with various genres of fishes. They eat almost all kind of sea worms, batfish, clams, copepods, and marine snails. The predator fish eats even the fishes, which are almost double the size of it.

Ugly Animals - Angler Fish