With a unique and unusual appearance, sunfish, Wobbegong shark, angler fish, starfish, red-lipped batfish, teardrop fish or Goblin shark… are known as the strangest fish on the planet. .
Sunfish, scientifically known as Mola Mola, is a large marine fish that often dives into deep water where the temperature is very low.
This fish has a rather strange shape. Overall they have an oval body that is round in the front and flattened towards the tail. Body length can reach from 3.5-5.5m. In particular, the mouth of this fish is very small, each jaw has two teeth stuck together to form a beak. With such a unique mouth, they cannot swallow large prey but only specialize in eating small crustaceans and other plankton.
A mother sunfish can lay up to 300 million eggs after just 3 weeks of pregnancy. When the baby fish hatch, they are only slightly larger than a grain of sand, up to 600 times smaller than the mother’s body. However, the fry grow very quickly, after only 15 months after the eggs hatch, they can grow up to 373kg.
When young, sunfish, like many other fish, swim very well in schools. As they grow older, they become increasingly lazy, living alone and letting their bodies float along ocean currents throughout the oceans.
Wobbegong sharks live in coastal coral reefs off the coast of northern Australia, New Guinea and neighboring islands, and are known as one of the most “weird” shark species on the planet.
Wobbegong has a rather large body with a flat shape, mottled skin color and surrounding antennae, so they are also called carpet sharks.
Wobbegong sharks are known as the “masters of camouflage” on the ocean floor. By taking advantage of their colorful mottled skin and seaweed-like whiskers, they pretend to be coral, hiding in the sand on the seabed.
The great trick of this shark is to lie still under the sand. When the prey comes close enough, they attack quickly by opening their mouth extremely wide and then closing it quickly, not letting the prey escape.
Currently, the Wobbegong carpet shark is classified as a near-endangered animal.
Anglerfish or Wolftrap fish (Anglerfishes) belong to the Lophiiformes bony fish family, living in deep waters of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
The anglerfish has a strange body with an “oversized” head, an unusually large upper jaw that can fold down to fully grasp the lower jaw. In addition, they also attract attention thanks to the natural “fishing rod” on the top of their head.
The Wolftrap fish’s “fishing rod” causes its prey to rush into its mouth. With self-expanding jaws and stomachs, anglerfish can digest prey twice the size of their body.
The ugly body is an advantage for anglerfish, helping them hide and wait for prey to fall into their mouths. With “extreme” hunting ability, this fish is also known as the “monster” of the sea.
The Stargazer fish (astrology or Japanese star) has the scientific name Pleuroscopus pseudodorsalis. This is a fish that usually lives at a depth of 40-800m below the seabed, with a body length of 18-90cm.
With jagged, sharp teeth and cruel eyes, starfish are also classified as one of the ugliest fish in the world.
Possessing a skin color that matches the color of the sea sand, the astro fish is known as the “master of camouflage”. They ambush their prey by hiding under a thin layer of sand with only their raised eyes observing. They eat smaller fish, octopus and squid.
The scientific name of the red-lipped batfish is Ogcocephalus darwini. They are found in deep waters around the Galapagos Islands in the Pacific Ocean and off the coast of Peru.
As the name suggests, the red-lipped batfish has strange-looking red lips, a flat body and wide-spread fins like bat wings. Their red lips may be used to attract mates or as camouflage for hunting.
When mature, the red-lipped batfish’s dorsal fin will grow like a finger on the top of its head. According to scientists, this fin is used by it to attract and “trap” prey. Their food is fish, shrimp, and crustaceans.
The waterdrop fish, nicknamed Psychrolutes marcidus, is a deep-sea fish that lives in temperate waters. Their habitat is in the deep sea off the coast of mainland Australia (Broken Bay), New South Wales and Tasmania, as well as some deep waters in New Zealand.
Compared to the character Jabba the Hut in the movie Star Wars, this fish has the ugliest appearance. Waterdrop fish have milky white or pink skin color. If viewed horizontally, they resemble the face of an obese man with an angry look and a bulbous nose.
This fish’s body is made of gelatinous blocks with a density lighter than water, helping it float on the seabed and withstand great pressure. Waterdrop fish are very “lazy” in moving. They float in the water, wait for their prey to pass by, and then swallow it whole.
Goblin sharks (goblin sharks) are also considered the strangest fish on the planet.
They are considered prehistoric monsters, the only surviving members of the Mitsukurinidae family – dating back more than 125 million years.
As a shark living in the deep sea, Goblin has an extremely ugly and scary appearance with a long nose like a bird’s beak. Furthermore, the goblin shark also has a pink body and sharp teeth that can crush any food.
