Pictured is the red handfish, arguably both the world’s rarest fish and the least terrifying member of the anglerfish order; complete with a fluffy pink bobble to prove it! Handfishes use their hand-like pectoral fins to “walk” around sea and river beds as a benthic, or floor-dwelling, fish. Amusing video of handfish “walking” here.
This little guy is one of several handfish species exclusively endemic to Australia. Unfortunately, handfishes are critically endangered due to this habitat destruction. Handfishes lay eggs on the stalks of sea squirts, but these plants are very appealing to invasive starfish which aggressively consume them. Part of the conservation effort has included removing invasive starfish and creating artificial ceramic stalks for handfishes to lay eggs.
If you’d like to learn more, name a handfish, or help out, please check out the handfish conservation project!
Spotted handfish juvenile, left, and adult, right. Handfishes are fairly tiny, with a size of 5-6 inches at maturity! The spotted handfish, along with the Ziebell’s and red handfishes, are the three critically endangered handfishes. In 2020 the smooth handfish became the first marine fish to be declared extinct.
Link to my handfish video playlist here.
Image sources: adult red handfish: Flickr, John Turnbull, juvenile spotted handfish, CSIRO; adult spotted handfish: Flickr, John Turnbull
sleep fish. 