When you buy through link on our site , we may earn an affiliate delegation . Here ’s how it works .
Name : Red handfish ( Thymichthys politus )
Where it lives : Two 164 feet ( 50 cadence ) patches of reef off the coast of Tasmania , Australia
This bizarre animal lives on the seabed and uses its large hand-like fins to move walk around.
What it consume : Small crustacean , worms and mollusk
Why it ’s awesome : If you imagined a tiny fish with hands for Phoebe , a moody downturned mouth and an excessive mohawk haircut , you might come close to visualizing the red handfish .
This eccentric of anglerfish produce no more than 4 inch ( 10 centimeters ) long and can come in a range of bolshy , browns and garden pink — often with brighter gloss around the edges of its tailfin . Unique mark on individuals can also be used to tell these weird - looking animalsapart .
Expert say one
Unlike many Pisces , this bizarre animal , which hold out on the seabed , does n’t have a swim bladder for buoyancy . Instead , its thoracic fin have evolved into big " hand " to help it move around by walk across the seafloor .
" It ’s an amazing curiosity of evolution,“Andrew Trotter , leader of the red handfish preservation education project at the University of Tasmania ’s Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies ( IMAS ) , tell Live Science in an email . " While walk with fin is rarified , some Pisces can even do this on land . The loss of a swim vesica is a plebeian trait among many benthonic fish , as OK - tuned airiness control is no longer postulate . "
Despite their unmated appearance , experts work with them find them quite adorable . " Of naturally you would have to say they are a piece cute , " Trotter articulate .
Related : Watch rare endangered pink handfish walk in 19th - hundred shipwreck off Tasmania
This critically endangered fish is only institute in two small patches of reef off Tasmania , Australia . Because they ca n’t waddle far on their hand - like fins , they are peculiarly susceptible to threats , such as habitat loss , pollution and urban development .
" The ruddy handfish is probably in the rarest’handful’of fish in the world , no paronomasia intended , " Trotter said . " It ’s really heavy to know precise numbers , but it has to be decent up there with the most imperiled Pisces specie that we know of . "
— Photos : The freakiest - look Pisces the Fishes
— ' Ghost shark ' with tremendous head and giant iridescent eyes discovered off Thailand
— Fish with ' human tooth ' caught in North Carolina
They are so rare that researcher in Australia recentlytook 25 of the 100 known wild individual into captivityfor several month in fear that maritime heatwaves could wipe out the entire species .
Trotter , who looked after the captive fish , say there were a few individuals in finical with standout personalities . " One might call this’attitude , ' " he say .
Being responsible for the caution of these endangered animals was " wonderful , but also very stressful at times , " he added . Three of them died in captivity , but 18 were returned to the wild once the heatwaves lessen . The remaining four are now in IMAS ' captive breeding program , funded by the Foundation for Australia ’s Most Endangered Species and the Department of Climate Change , Energy , the Environment and Water , to help protect the time to come of the species .
But their opportunity of survival is still in question . " When you have so few animals left in one place it seems likely an extreme event could lead to extinction , " Trotter said .
