A fish that ‘walks’ in water

LONDON - The angler fish, which is mostly found in the ocean depths, appears to saunter along on four legs on the ocean floor, new pictures have revealed.

But the angler fish’s leg-like appendages are just the fins that help him balance himself on the sea bed. He settles on the ocean floor waiting to seize any passing prey he lures towards him, reports the Daily Mail.

Said Faye Archell of the Centre of Applied Zoology, UK: “Many species of angler fish are what are known as ambush predators.

“Their fins have adapted as limb like structures to allow them to remain stationary on the sea bed while causing minimal disturbance to the substrate and remaining totally camouflaged.

“They then use a protrusion on their heads, just above their mouths, that they use as a lure to catch their prey.”

Most of these species live in the great depths of the oceans, but some are found in shallower, tropical environments.

Stunning pictures of the fish were taken by scientists using cutting-edge technology to explore the waters off Indonesia.

They predict that as many as 40 new plant and animal species may have been discovered during the three-week expedition that ended last week.

More than 100 hours of video and 100,000 photographs, captured using a robotic vehicle with high-definition cameras, were piped to shore in real-time by satellite and high-speed internet.

Verena Tunnicliffe, a professor at the University of Victoria in Canada, said the images provided an extraordinary glimpse into one of the globe’s most complex and little-known marine ecosystems.

Scientists used powerful sonar mapping system and the robotic vehicle to explore nearly 21,000 square miles of sea floor off northern Indonesia, at depths ranging from 800 feet to over two miles.