Sea Creature of the Week

"The Sea Creature of the Week" 

The Leafy Seadragon

Phycodurus eques

To recognize the fall weather, changing of the temperature, and the falling of the leaves, let's look at a cool sea creature called the leafy seadragon. This animal is found  along the southern and western coasts of Australia and you can guess where it gets its name from. Yep! The leaf-like structures hanging off of its body! And did I mention these animals are in the same fish family as sea horses?!?! Yessir! These animals and sea horses are fish!!! Cool, huh? I know my husband finds these animals really unique looking....what about you? Check out the pics below!

 

Sea Creature of the Week

"The Sea Creature of the Week" 

The Blobfish 

Psychrolutes marcidus

Is this a real fish? YES! This is one of the funniest looking fish in the ocean!!! Don't worry, you’re not likely to see a blobfish since they live in very deep water off Australia. As a matter of fact.....it’s pretty rare for anyone to see blobfish. Scientist describe the blobfish as big, jiggly tadpole, a mass of pale, jelly-like flesh with puffy, loose skin, a big nose, and beady, staring eyes. This funny looking fish moves around by floating above the sea floor so it doesn’t have to spend a lot of energy swimming around.....like when you float in water wearing a life jacket. Blobfish grow only to about 12 inches. No one has seen them feed, but scientists think blobfish probably just open their big mouths and let little particles drift in. Besides....how would it chase it's food? Look at how funny this fish looks!!! 

Sea Creature of the Week

"The Sea Creature of the Week" 

The Frogfish

Antennarius spp.

The frogfish comes in a variety of colors and is also decorated very nicely! :-) Their diet includes fish, crabs and other crustaceans, and even each other! Due to the great camouflage of these fish, they seldom swim around. Usually a frogfish can be found lying on the sea floor, waiting for their prey to approach. Living in a variety of habitats, frogfish can be found everywhere from Atlantic to Pacific ocean waters, the Indian Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, and even in some brackish water environments! (Brackish waters are mixed with fresh and salt water.) Many aquarium hobbyist have found frogfish to be a cool addition in their tanks! To show you how colorful these fishes are, I will leave you with several pictures, so that you can see how different they can look! Enjoy! 

Sea Creature of the Week

"The Sea Creature of the Week" 

Red-Lipped Batfish or Galapagos 

Batfish

Ogcocephalus darwini

This is the most funny-looking fish I've ever seen! Living around the Galapagos Islands, batfish are NOT known for their swimming capabilities. As a matter of fact, they use their pectoral fins to "walk" on the ocean floor. Being one species of 60 batfishes, it is believed that the function of the bright red lips may be to enhance species recognition during reproduction. Red-lipped batfish prey on other small fishes and crustaceans. These fish are rare to come in contact with due to them being deep sea dwellers. Check out these pics as these fish pucker up! :-)