The foot finfish is motionless on a rock to stalk its prey and has specially modified fins that resemble an elephant’s foot, allowing it to walk on the seabed.
Researchers from the “Okeanos SE Deep-sea Exploration” project coordinated by the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) came across a ChanSchaefer finfish (Sladenia shaefersi) also known as the goosefish, species very rare animal, in November. Ocean Research and Exploration shared a video of the fish on December 19.
“Although we often encountered the fish on our deep sea expeditions, this fish is not well known. It was great that we had the chance to see it and the fins changed to act like feet. allowing to “walk” over the seabed, “NOAA said. The November 19 dive, the last of the Okeanos Explorer this year, took place approximately 93 kilometers southwest of Dry Tortugas National Park in Florida.
At first glance, the team mistook the fish for a rock. They say the fish can eat prey almost twice the size and has a specially modified fin that resembles an elephant’s foot. In the video, the fish remains motionless on the rock in a stalking position, ready to attack any animal that passes by. In addition to Schaefer’s finfish, the team also encountered rat tail fish, squid, starfish, snake tail starfish, crabs, lobsters, and sponges between 928 and 973 m above the water.
