From fish with unusual abilities, to ones that just plain look odd, join me as I reveal
to you 12 of the most unusual fish in the ocean...part 2!
12.
Blobfish The Blobfish is actually a very unique specimen
when it comes to the world we live in.
For you see, the Blobfish are a species that lives in incredibly deep waters within the
oceans, and are used to living in places with incredible pressure.
So when they're not in those high pressure areas, they actually transform (in a way)
into a more jelly like state, which is why it looks like a blob when it is on the surface.
Yep, that's right, the "form" you're seeing now is not its "true form" but rather it's
"final form".
Just catching a Blobfish is an incredible endeavor, as no Blobfish has ever been caught
alive, which is the same for most deep sea fish.
So even if you could catch one, you would have to keep it within a contain that exerts
the same pressures of the ocean, and then transfer it into a cage that has similar pressures.
While it's "final form" is strange, you have to admit that it's also strange that it would
transform into this when put out of its proper pressures.
And yeah...it just looks weird too.
11.
Oranda Goldfish Ok, I want you to picture a goldfish.
It could be the one you have, one you've seen at a pet store, whatever you want.
Can you picture it?
Now, do you see anything weird about that goldfish in your mind?
No?
Good!
That means you're thinking of a standard goldfish.
However, a non-standard goldfish is the Oranda Goldfish, which most certainly does NOT look
like a regular one thanks to its "enhanced" head.
By that, I mean that the head has a growth, also known as a "Hood" called a Wen, and it
makes it look like the goldfish is rather sick, when actually, it's perfectly fine.
Most times anyway.
The mass on the head is benign, but sometimes it can grow so big that it actually covers
the eyes of the fish, limiting eyesight in a not so fun way.
Ironically enough, the "growth" on its head actually makes it attractive to people as
pets (people are weird, this is known).
Especially among the Chinese.
Still, if you're going to have a goldfish, I'd say go with the standard ones, that way
there's no surprises there.
10.
Stargazers There are many fish in the sea who use a variety
of tactics to get their food, and the family known as the Stargazers are no exception.
Their body is literally built for ambushing unsuspecting prey.
For example, their eyes are on the top of their head instead of the sides like most
fish.
Their bodies are relatively flat, and their mouths are actually upward-facing.
What they like to do is go into a reef and bury themselves in the sand.
Then, they'll wait for small fish to come by unsuspectingly, and then they'll strike.
Not weird enough for you?
Well, there are 51 species of Stargazer in the world, and some of them actually have
a "lure" within their mouths that looks like a worm.
So they'll use it to attract prey and bring them closer, thus allowing them an even easier
meal.
And as if all of that wasn't enough?
The Stargazers are actually both venomous and electricity infused at times.
Yeah, you heard me, they can both poison you and give you an electric shock depending on
the type of one you're looking at.
Yet what might be the oddest of all?
Despite all of these odd and dangerous features?
People love to eat them in certain countries.
9.
Asian Sheepshead Wrasse Part of the Wrasse species, the Asian Sheepshead
Wrasse is odd in a whole host of ways.
Not the least of which is that somehow, this is one of the larger species of Wrasse in
the world today.
As it can reach over 3 feet (the record among wrasse is 8.2 feet for the record).
But obviously, when you look at the Asian Sheepshead Wrasse, you're looking at its head.
I mean, how could you not?
First and foremost, its head and mouth look like its swollen, but they're actually not.
It's just a protrusion that the fish natural has.
In the case of the mouth, it technically has a very unique jawline thanks to this protrusion.
But getting back to the weirdness, the other thing that separates the Asian Sheepshead
Wrasse from others is that the lips of this fish are very big.
In fact, they actually look like human lips (maybe ones with a botox injection, who am
I to judge?).
So yeah, when you add that all together?
That's a weird fish.
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8.
Yellow-Headed Jawfish Whether as an animal or as a human, you know
that a natural instinct is to protect ones young with all you have.
And sometimes, you need to get creative to do so.
For the Yellow-Headed Jawfish, that means putting the eggs in their mouth in order to
not just keep an eye on them, but protect them from threats.
No, really, that's what they do.
Though to be clear, it's not the mother that has the eggs in her mouth.
Rather, it's the father that takes up the mantle of child protector.
What happens is that the mother will lay the eggs and fertilize them.
As you would expect from the mother of the species.
And once that process is taken care of, the father will come in and gather all the eggs
in his mouth.
Once complete, he'll start to incubate them, which can take over a weeks' time.
And in case you are curious, the father will have anywhere from 300-500 eggs in his mouth
during that time period.
Showing off not just the small size of the eggs, but the flexibility of the mouth of
the Yellow-Headed Jawfish.
In terms of protection?
Yeah, I can see why this would be incredibly effective.
In terms of looks?
Yeah, this is just plain weird.
7.
Scorpionfish There are many creatures in the sea that have
a cute or beautiful appearance but are actually very deadly, and among these fish are the
Scorpionfish.
A species that is known for its Technicolor look, but also, its incredibly deadly poison.
One that can be found on the spines on its body...that happened to be covered with a
type of Mucus.
Yeah, you read that right.
If this sounds familiar, you might know the name of one of the family members to this
line, the Lionfish, which is also known as one of the deadliest creatures of the seas.
It's just a curious thing to see that there is a creature that can be quite pretty to
look at, but if you get too close to it, it will sting you, not unlike a scorpion (minus
the pretty factor of course).
This species also are known to bury themselves at the bottom of certain sea floors and wait
for foes to accidentally touch them, to which they then strike.
6.
Frogfish The species known as the Frogfish are actually
a subsection of the Angler Fish line.
But this one has a few...unique qualities that help it stand out.
First off, they're scaleless, which allows them to have all sorts of unique looks via
their skin.
They can even look frilly at times and thus resemble certain underwater plants.
This comes in handy when they want to hide from predators or hunt food.
Speaking of which, they're also not opposed to using mimicry via movements to try and
convince its prey that it's actually one of them, and thus will get them into a lulled
state of security.
Then strike.
Which brings me to the most eye-popping moment of this feature.
The Frogfish is actually so quick that it can snatch up a prey in six milliseconds.
That's so fast that most people can't see it happen.
Why a fish needs to be this fast is beyond me.
5.
Boxfish I mean...it kind of speaks for itself, doesn't
it?
I mean, it's called a Boxfish, I'm sure you can guess at least in part why this fish is
so strange, right?
Well, in case you can't get the hint, the Boxfish are a type of Bony Fish, and yes,
they're actually shaped in part like a box.
Mainly in how you look at them from the front view, they're box-like.
Or, at times, they can be even triangle like.
But wait, there's more.
The Boxfish isn't just oddly shaped, it's oddly built, to the extent that the scales
that the Boxfish have are armored heavily.
So much so that there are actually only a few fish in the ocean that can try and eat
a Boxfish because of the scales being so hard.
Yet, this comes with a drawback.
Because of its rigidity and security, it can't exactly move very well.
So its swim speed is low.
But, when you have that kind of protection, I guess movement speed isn't too big a worry,
huh?
4.
Psychedelic Frogfish What's that?
Didn't we do the Frogfish already?
Yeah, but that was the "pure" species of them, this is one of their offshoots, and it's just
as weird.
If you don't believe me, just re-read the name Psychedelic Frogfish.
This species was actually discovered by accident in Indonesia by a scuba diving instructor.
What he saw was a zebra-striped fish that was literally bouncing along the ocean floor.
Which if you know how water works, that's not easy to do.
Then, there's the look, its striped-pattern is very unique, and in fact, every Psychedelic
Frogfish has their own very special stripe pattern.
That makes it easy for people to keep track of them and thus study them at length.
Why they have this stripe pattern is unknown.
What is known though is that the Psychedelic Frogfish is actually able to somehow extend
its head and mouth forward.
Which totally isn't creepy at all...
3.
Puffer fish You no doubt have heard about the Puffer Fish
at some point in your lives.
And if so, you know that this is a fish that is not only strange in its looks and behaviors,
but also in how its "appreciated" all over the world.
In case you don't know, the Puffer Fish has a toxin that is feared all over the world.
Tetrodotoxin.
And this fish is literally infused with it from top to bottom, gill to gill.
So the slightest touch of this fish on your skin will leave you dead.
Period.
Which brings us to its "unique" defense mechanism.
When calm, the puffer fish looks just like a regular fish.
But, when threatened or spooked, it'll inflate itself into its "ball form", one that protrudes
a bunch of spikes meant to ward off prey.
The fear of the Puffer Fish is so grand that it's full-on illegal to bring these fish into
most of the countries in the world.
The reason for this is that while you eat the fish...you have to know how to do so without
leaving ANY of the poison in it as you cook it.
That's hard to do.
Which is where the strangeness element comes in.
As Japan is the only country in the world to allow the import of them because they know
how to gut it properly.
So I guess you could say that they're fearless in the face of the Puffer Fish.
2.
Molidae Also known as the "Ocean Sunfishes", this
unique fish truly stands tall amongst other fish in the sea.
And I do mean that quite literally.
Because they can measure up to 15 feet in length despite having a "half-fish" look.
What does that mean?
Simple, when you think of a fish, you usually see a "complete" body even in the smallest
of fish.
But, the Ocean Sunfishes have a look that "ends" at the Dorsal Fins, which makes it
look very odd.
Yet, it's very long.
See the weirdness now?
Oh, and did I mention that because of their size they can weight up to 5000 pounds?
Because they can.
One more thing, there's like 40 species of parasites in its skin...because why not at
this point?
1.
Sawfish The Sawfish has a name that definitely lives
up to the hype.
Because as you might suspect, the Sawfish is indeed a creature that an appendage that
looks very much...like a saw!
Shocking, I know.
Believe it or not, it's not actually the nose of the fish that has the "saw", it's actually
an extension of the nose called the Rostrum, and on that rostrum is a set of spiny teeth
that reach out, and thus give the fish its "saw" look.
Another odd thing is that while the saw on the fish looks like an offensive weapon, it's
actually not clear if that's what it's for.
No one really knows how the saw is used on prey.
But, we do know that it's used as a sensory tool to help the Sawfish see all around it.
Didn't see that coming, did you?
Thanks for watching everyone!
What did you think about these strange fish?
Which ones were your favorites among the set?
Do you know of another strange fish we can put on the list next time?
Let us know in the comments below, be sure to subscribe, and I'll see you next time on
the channel!