This entry was posted on Monday, October 27th, 2008 at 9:45 pm and is filed under About, Adventure Cruises, Information, Snorkeling. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Photo Courtesy K.T.Shao/fishbase.org
Red Velvet Whalefish is the name given to this really bizarre fish whose skin is velvety to the touch say the researchers. This fish exists in the worlds tropical oceans. The lower jaw extends beyond the upper one, and the eyes are unusually large. The researchers also noted the teeth in both jaws are in broad villiform bands, i.e. rows of small villi (minute projections that rise from a mucous membrane). So, unlike some deep water species that have fangs, or other sharp teeth, this unusual fish doesn’t really have teeth at all!
They grow to about 39 centimeters(15 inches) and probably eat crustaceans. What is really interesting is the depth they can survive in, which according to researchers is a whopping 6,500 feet plus! Although the Velvet Whalefish is not really ghoulish looking, it is a most unusual fish, and even though the average snorkeler and diver will not get to experience seeing this fish, we will just happily add it to our list of special marine animals used to kick off Halloween 2008! Happy snorkeling!!
