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Strange deep-sea fish found walking sideways and backwards on ocean floor
The Independent • • science
Key Points:
- Researchers have discovered that the deep-sea searobin fish can walk not only forward but also sideways and backwards on the ocean floor, a behavior previously unknown in fish.
- The searobin uses specialized pectoral fins and shrimp-like jerky movements, along with tail-driven swimming, to navigate the seafloor, earning it the nickname "fish-prawn hybrid."
- Filmed in the northern South China Sea using deep-sea vehicles, the fish's whisker-like barbels function like soil-digging rakes, helping it sense and forage for prey in sediment.
- The study highlights the searobin's unique adaptations, such as flat, round pectoral fins for balance and shrimp-style leaps to escape threats, offering new insights into deep-sea evolutionary biology.
- Scientists believe these findings will challenge existing views of deep-sea life and advance understanding of how specialized biological traits develop in extreme environments.
