Picture yourself scuba diving, hovering just above the sea bed, when you sight a slight disturbance up ahead in the sand. A creature which you originally assume to be a ray, suddenly appears to crawl around the bottom on what appears to be feet, and even stranger, the creature looks like its wearing lipstick! No fellow divers, you are not hallucinating brought on by nitrogen narcosis, but what you have just witnessed is a bottom-dwelling batfish sometimes known as an anglerfish .

Belonging to the Ogcocephalidae family of fish, but closely related to the anglerfish, these are not to be confused with the more commonly found Batfish from the Ephippidae or Spadefish family, the ones that are disc shaped or spade shaped curious fish that follow scuba divers around. The Ogcocephalidae Batfish comprise of several different species of bottom dwelling fish, that are usually found across the deeper parts of the Atlantic, Indian and western Pacific Oceans.

These fish are bottom-dwelling and are flatted often triangular shaped similar in appearance to rays.  The largest of the Batfish species can grow up to 20 inches in length, and they lure their prey into their mouths with the help of a lure attached to their heads. Batfish prey on bottom-dwelling invertebrates that it lures into its mouth while burred in the sand of the sea bed.

Batfish are very strange fish. They look like they could walk onto the land if they wanted to. Specially adapted for life on the bottom, In many species,  the pelvic and anal fins are relatively thick and stout for supporting the body off the substrate. These fish are capable of walking on the bottom using their large arm like pectoral and smaller pelvic fins. Batfish are not good swimmers.

There are several different kinds of bottom dwelling batfish, such as the Red-lipped Batfish (Ogcocephalus darwini), Rosy-lipped Batfish (Ogcocephalus porrectus), Shortnose Batfish (Ogcocephalus nasutus), Brazilian Batfish (Ogcocephalus vespertilio) and the Roughback Batfish (Ogcocephalus parvu), all having slightly different  physical  characteristics and found in different waters.

photos from Scubaben & National Undersearch Research Program (NURP) Collection

© Aquaviews - SCUBA Blog, 2011. | Meet the Bizarre Bottom-dwelling Batfish is an original article from Aquaviews.net | Be the first to comment!

As a Scuba diver, you come across a huge variety of marine life from fish, coral, sharks, whales and so on. Many a times you encounter marine creatures that just wow you, maybe by how they look or what they do that’s so fascinating, some look deceptively pretty but can pack a mean bite or sting when called for and lastly there’s the bizarre and plain ugly creatures that make you re-think entering the water again.  We’d like to call them – The Good, The Bad and The Ugly of the Underwater World. One thing is for sure…it’s a whole other World down there!

The Good (Fish)

Parrotfish
These beautifully bright colored reef fish, have quite the outer appearance with their peculiar beak shaped mouth. They come in hues of green, shades of blue, reds and yellows. But more than just their pretty colors, is their contribution to this planet. Did you know that Parrotfish are largely responsible for the fine white sand of many tropical coral islands today? Yes, this seemingly ordinary fish breaks down chunks of coral and rocky substrates for algae and they grind up the coral rock, excreting the same as a fine sand. Over the thousands of years they’ve helped create the small islands and sandy beaches in the Bahamas and Caribbean among others. One parrot fish can produce upto 90kgs (approx. 198 pounds) of sand each year. (Read: The Most Beautiful Fish in the Reef)  

(*image source: wikipedia.org)

The Bad (Fish)

Lionfish
This seemingly attractive fish is hard to miss with it’s bright stripes and big showy fins. Among the fancy fins however are 13 sharp spines that scream stay away. Loaded with a neurotoxin, the lionfish is one of the most venomous fish on the ocean floor. The lionfish is also referred to as Turkey Fish, Dragon Fish, Scorpion or Fire Fish. This small fish is quite the big bully and most fish and not to mention divers will keep a safe distance from it. Their sting is are not deadly or fatal to humans, but the person is likely to experience extreme pain, possibly headaches, vomiting, and breathing difficulties.

(*photo by: richard ling on flickr)

The Ugly (Fish)

Blob Sculpin
This deep sea fish is one of the ugliest fish you could find in the ocean. The name Blob Sculpin comes from it’s obvious blob like appearance. The flabby spineless fish however isn’t reported to be harmful in any way. It feeds mainly on crustaceans, molluscs, and sea urchins.

The Good (Shark)

Whale Shark
Whale sharks known as the gentle giants of the sea are a rare filter feeding variety of the otherwise feared shark species. These colossal creatures grow to a length of 20m and weigh up to 12,000 Kg and feed off zooplankton, squid and small fish. With white spots much like stars on the back of this massive yet magnificent fish, whale sharks are gentle and people friendly creatures unlike its other shark relatives. An absolute joy to dive or snorkel with they are quite an attraction to divers. (Read: Diving with Gentle Giants-The Whale Shark)

(*photo by: Noodlefish on flickr)

The Bad (Shark)

Bull Shark
As notorious as the big daddy of sharks the Great White, Bull sharks to have a reputation that surpasses them. Known for its unpredictable, often aggressive behavior, the bull shark is more of a threat to human than other shark species because of it’s affinity to dwell in shallow waters. They can live in rivers, estuaries and some lakes. In fact, some have been found as far as 3000 km up the Amazon and Mississippi rivers making them responsible for the majority of shark attacks on humans and even those that take place near the shore. (Read: 10 Common Shark Sightings )

(*photo by: pterantula on flickr)

The Ugly (Shark)

Basking Shark
Another harmless but strange looking variety from the shark family is the Basking shark. This filter feeder is called the basking shark because it is most often observed when feeding at the surface and appears to be basking. They feed at or close to the surface with their mouths wide open and gill rakers erect and only the first 3 or 4 rows of the upper jaw and 6 or 7 rows of the lower jaw are functional. Scary looking as they maybe these sharks are pretty harmless to humans if left alone.

(*image source: wikipedia.org)

The Good (Whale)

Beluga Whale
This cute snowy white whale colloquially known as the Sea Canary on account of the high-pitched squeaks, squeals, clucks and whistles it makes, is very smart creature. This display of intelligence was clear in the recent incident where the Beluga Whale saved a free diver from drowning. Beluga’s are popular for their amusing facial expressions unlike other whales and they have an almost perpetual smile giving them a friendly face. An amazing fact about this whale is that it unlike most whales can swim backwards.

The Bad (Whale)

Orcas (Killer Whale)
Quite unlike it’s portrayal in ‘Free Willy’ the Hollywood blockbuster Orcas or Killer Whale as they are more commonly known are not the friendliest or nicest of whales. In fact they are quite the predators in the ocean and hunt sharks,marine mammals including sea lions, seals, walruses and even large whales. Although they aren’t a direct threat to humans, incidents of Orcas being a little aggressive towards their handlers in marine park and one such incident resulted in a fatality.

(*photo by: limowreck666 on flickr)

The Ugly (Whale)

Gray Whale
At 16 meters (52 ft), 36 tons and an average age of 50–60 years, Gray Whales are huge, ugly and old! This dark slate-gray Whale is covered by characteristic gray-white patterns and scars left by parasites which drop off in the cold feeding grounds.

(*image source: wikipedia.org)

© Aquaviews - SCUBA Blog, 2009. | The Good, The Bad and The Ugly of the Underwater World is an original article from Aquaviews.net | 10 comments