Even by Australia’s high standards, this catch is particularly bizarre.
Fishermen reeled in a sea creature that looks like a weird prawn-fish-squid hybrid. According to a report by NT News, it was caught at a “secret spot” off the coast of Darwin, Australia, near the maritime boundary with Indonesia, at a depth of about 300 meters (985 feet). People have been seeking help in identifying the unfortunate-looking creatures on the sports fishing Facebook community page THE BADASS SKIPPER.
This specimen is likely to be an armored sea robin (Satyrichthys welchi), a species of bony scorpaeniformes fish. They typically measure around 35 centimeters long (14 inches long) and are only found in deep waters, mainly in tropical regions. Due to their preference for the deep sea, it’s rare to see one of these fish in the flesh.
However, only last week the NOAA managed to spot one of these fish on the seabed during a dive in the Ta'u Unit of National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa. As they explain in their video description, armored sea robins have horn-like projections on each side of their snout and branched whiskers on the bottom of their head in front of their mouth, which they use to “sniff out” food.
Check it out below.
