Whether it is the ocean, sea, river or lake - the water depths are full of unknown and interesting things. No matter how actively the aquatic environment is not studied by modern scientists, many of its inhabitants still remain a big mystery to humanity and amaze us with its unusual appearance. We present to your attention rating the most unusual fish in the world with photos and description.
10. Deciduous sea dragon (Phycodurus eques)
The first question that most readers will have is what is it? The deciduous sea dragon belongs to the seahorses family. He is also called rag because of his unusual body, which really resembles a rag. However, he also resembles a dragon due to its curvature.
A deciduous dragon is a completely harmless animal - the maximum that it can do is hide in algae and disguise itself under them. The unusualness of one of the most beautiful fish in the world is also due to its nutrition - the “dragon” simply sucks all the small fish and shrimp around it, so often various algae and even garbage get into its mouth.
9. Largemouth or pelican fish (Saccopharyngoidei)
Another mysterious creature in our ranking is the pelican fish. Its name is explained by a huge stretching throat, more reminiscent of a bag of a beak from a pelican. This fish is unusual in that, unlike most relatives, it does not have scales, a swimming fin and a bone skeleton.
The body of the bolsherot is held at the expense of cartilage and two deformed bones, so it looks more like a snake body. It is worth noting that despite the decent size, these fish are very light.
8. Barrel-eye (Macropinna microstoma)
This strange fish with a transparent head has been little studied to date, so it is of great interest. Any attempts by scientists to get a barrel-eye out of the water ended in failure - the fish head simply burst upon contact with air. However, thanks to the deep-sea vehicles, it was still possible to draw some conclusions about the features of this fish.
Barrel-eye is very inactive and can "freeze" for a long time in one place. Their eyes are inside the head and allow you to see everything that is above the fish, even when it swims in a horizontal direction. This unusual structure of the eyes provides her with a huge service when hunting.
7. Goliath tiger fish (Hydrocynus goliath)
As you probably already guessed, this unusual fish got its name due to the gigantic size that the great warrior Goliath was famous for. Why brindle - because on the sides of her body are large dark stripes.
Goliath fish is one of the most dangerous predators of the Congo River. By bloodthirstiness it can be compared with piranhas. She can also attack people, and sometimes even crocodiles. In Africa, fishing for this fish is extremely popular among local residents.
6. Drop fish (Psychrolutes marcidus)
A drop fish is very strange in appearance and one of the most unusual animals on the planet. We can say that, however, it does not look like fish at all. A drop is called because of the bizarre “drip” shape of the body, sad eyes and a large hanging nose.
The color of this fish varies depending on the environmental conditions in which it lives. Basically, it hides in corals or slowly moves along the bottom on its two fins. By the way, drop fish can be very heavy and gain up to 10 kilograms.
5. Black Dragon Fish (Idiacanthus)
Despite its small size, black dragon fish is a fierce deep-sea predator. It has an elongated, curved body and sharp teeth. The peculiarity of this fish is that under its eyes there is a source of red light, which perfectly illuminates its path in dark ocean waters.
The body of deep-sea fish is often dotted with photophores, in which case the dragon fish is no exception. With their glow, the males attract females during the mating period, and the luminous process under the lower jaw is an excellent bait for prey.
4. Fish-Silver Steam Locomotive (Takifugu rubripes)
This strange fish is a type of puffer fish, the most poisonous creature on the planet. The fact is that her skin and all reproductive organs contain highly toxic poison that can poison not only humans, but also the creatures surrounding her.
With any contact with this fish, complete paralysis of all organs occurs and, as a result, death from suffocation. The Silver Fish locomotive is a huge danger today - due to warming it has reached the Pacific Ocean from the Red and Mediterranean Seas and is actively “colonizing” new territories.
3. Tripod fish (Bathypterois grallator)
This fish really strongly resembles a tripod or tripod, so its name is absolutely justified. With a relatively small body, the "tripod" has long rays reaching a length of more than a meter. Long fins allow it to hold firmly at the bottom even against the tide, and also act as tentacles: fish easily reach them for prey.
Interesting fact: tripod fish is a hermaphrodite. If an individual does not find a mating partner, it will lay eggs on its own. In the world there are not many species of animals capable of immaculate conception.
2. Anabas fish (Anabas testudineus)
Unlike previous participants in the rating, Anabas does not differ in unusual appearance: it does not glow in the dark and does not have meter fins. However, it can rightly be called one of the strangest and most unusual fish in the world. The thing is, this fish just loves ... to climb trees.
Hard fins with hard scales on land serve as legs and allow Anabas to climb stones and trees. Anabas lives in fresh water: it settles in rivers, small lakes and, no matter how wild it sounds, in rice fields.
1. Psychedelic frog fish (Histiophryne psychedelica)
The most unusual feature of this fish is its movement style. By the principle of a jet engine, it swells and with all its strength pushes water through the gills. Thus, it resembles a frog jumping along the bottom of the ocean, well, or a tennis ball. And she also has legs that also help in moving along the bottom.
Psychedelic fish have no scales, so thick mucus that envelops her entire body helps her protect herself from scratches. Another unusual distinguishing feature of this mysterious creature is its bright striped color.
