Horses trot, ducks waddle, fishes swim- such phrases are taught in elementary education. However, in an unusual video caught in the strange land that lies underwater, fish was seen walking, using its fins like hindlegs.
Mickey Charteris was diving in the Caribbean when he came across this strange movement. He called it the “strangest fish in the Caribbean.” Charteris has spent his life documenting and exploring marine life, even so, this was an odd experience for him.
He shot a video of the creature in the muddy channel of French Key Cut on the island of Roatán, Honduras.
The creature, it turns out, is a shortnose batfish or scientific name, Ogcocephalus nasutus a native of The Caribbean. The fish walks slowly, methodically, as it hunts for prey. It mostly survives on small crabs and fishes. However, it doesn’t always walk. When spooked or in need to make a quick escape, the fish can swim away. “It resembles a lump of brown sponge that mated with a unicorn,” said Charteris.
The unicorn reference comes from the horn in the centre of this strange creature’s head. Charteris is an expert of life around this region and author of the book, Caribbean Reef Life. he said from the above, it looked almost like a dark wedge.
However, from below it seemed to sport red lips. “It’s a sight most divers will never get to see,” he said, as the fish is very rarely seen. It can only be found in very specific areas when diving in silt-heavy channels with shallow sand flats. Such areas have low visibility and are less frequented by divers.
#CDN37 Mickey Charteris, un experimentado buzo, grabó imágenes de un extraño pez que “camina” por el fondo marino usando sus aletas como patas. La especie, conocida como pez murciélago o diablo, generalmente “camina” en busca de presas tales como cangrejos y peces pequeños. pic.twitter.com/KJOPEIk5fR— CDN 37 (@CDN37) November 13, 2020
However, this spotting was not a chance happening. They went with an intention of recording the fish after hearing rumours of it being spotted nearby.
Most fishes have a structure called swim bladder – the gas-filled organ which helps them swim by maintaining buoyancy. The shortnose batfish do not have such a structure. Due to this, they remain close to the bottom.
“This keeps them low to the ground and close to prey that it sneaks up on,” said Charteris.
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