Can 2020 Get Anymore Bizarre? Caribbean Fish Takes A Walk On The Ocean Floor
The rare creature, a shortnose batfish, was filmed in a muddy channel called French Key Cut on the island of Roat¨¢n, Honduras.
Just when you thought 2020 couldn't get any weirder, along comes this video of a fish literally taking a stroll on the ocean floor using its fins for legs,
The rare creature, a shortnose batfish, was filmed in a muddy channel called French Key Cut on the island of Roat¨¢n, Honduras.
Mickey Charteris/Caribbean Reef Life
Spotted by Mickey Charteris, who has spent years chronicling marine life around the region, he said the sea beast might just be the weirdest he's seen.
The fish walks slowly, methodically, as it hunts for prey. It mostly survives on small crabs and fish.
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#CDN37 Mickey Charteris, un experimentado buzo, grab¨® im¨¢genes de un extra?o pez que ¡°camina¡± por el fondo marino usando sus aletas como patas.
¡ª CDN 37 (@CDN37) November 13, 2020
La especie, conocida como pez murci¨¦lago o diablo, generalmente ¡°camina¡± en busca de presas tales como cangrejos y peces peque?os. pic.twitter.com/KJOPEIk5fR
However, it doesn¡¯t always walk. When spooked or in need to make a quick escape, the fish can swim away. ¡°It resembles a lump of brown sponge that mated with a unicorn,¡± said Charteris.
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Mickey Charteris/Caribbean Reef Life
Mr Charteris, an expert on marine species and the author of Caribbean Reef Life, said it looked like a dark wedge from above but had red lips when seen from below. It's a sight most divers will never get to see, he added. 'It's seen very seldom,' said the 50-year-old.
The fish is very rarely seen. It can only be found in very specific areas when diving in silt-heavy channels with shallow sand flats. Such areas have low visibility and are less frequented by divers.
The shortnose batfish or Ogcocephalus nasutus is native to the Caribbean and is one of a handful of fish that adapted this way.
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