It would astonish anyone not familiar with the aquatic world at some creatures that live below the waters of our planet.
I think most people would refrain from swimming in lakes, rivers, and oceans if they knew what some creatures living there looked like. Have we got a treat for you today as we countdown 15 most unusual fish in the world?
No 15 Lancetfish –
Number 15 on our list is the Lancetfish. With gaping fanged jaws, enormous eyes, a sailfin, and long, slithery body, lancetfish look like they swam out of prehistoric time. Their dinosaur-worthy scientific name, Alepisaurus, means “scaleless lizard.” Lancetfish are naked of scales with skin covered in pores. Growing to over 7 feet long, lancetfish are one of the largest deep-sea fishes, swimming to depths more than a mile below the sea surface.
They live mainly in tropical and subtropical waters but migrate as far north as subarctic areas like Alaska’s Bering Sea to feed. Lancetfish are hermaphrodites, possessing both male and female sex organs. We know very little about lancetfish reproduction and development. Lancetfish flesh is watery and gelatinous and not appetizing to humans.
However, other large predators like sharks, tuna, and fur seals—and other lancetfish—are not so picky. Since gelatinous muscles are not built for long chases, scientists suspect lancetfish are ambush predators, floating quietly camouflaged in the water until unsuspecting prey comes near enough to strike. NOAA scientists are looking at the stomach contents of lancetfish to understand the mysterious mid-water food web.
Food in distensible lancetfish stomachs is often found in a nearly pristine state, barely digested. Scientists speculate that lancetfish may eat as much as they can whenever they find food, then digest it later when they need it. Lancetfish are notorious cannibals and also feed voraciously on many other fish and invertebrates. The cold, dark mid-water depths where lancetfish hunt are known as the twilight zone
14 – Congo (Goliath) Tiger Fish –
Number 14 on our list is the Congo Goliath Tiger Fish. The Goliath Tiger Fish is a large predatory fish that lives in the Congo River in Africa with the largest specimens reaching a length of 6 feet, and a weight of 100 lbs. Although there have been reports of large specimens weighing 150 lbs or more. This fish has long crocodile-like teeth, specially designed to tear chunks of meat out of other fish.
The goliath tigerfish is a piscivore, which means it eats mainly fish. With such impressive size, an adult goliath tigerfish will eat any other fish that it can overpower, such as a small Nile perch. When your name is Goliath, you’d better be one humongous, ferocious creature, and the Goliath tigerfish definitely lives up to its moniker it outclasses other African game fish in speed and power.
Locals say it’s the only fish that doesn’t fear the crocodile and that it eats smaller ones. We have also known it to attack humans in rare instances. It’s so lightning quick and forceful that not only will it snap an angler’s line, but it will sometimes make off with his or her tackle. No wonder one fishing safari promoter requires clients to read a cautionary treatise on the Goliath before agreeing to a fishing trip. Where are David and his sling-shot when you need him?
13 – Sawfish –
Number 13 on our list is the Sawfish. Despite their shark-like form and manner of swimming, they are rays. These large- to huge-sized rays are characterized as having an elongate blade-like snout that has laterally placed tooth-like denticles set into sockets. Sawfish inhabit all coastal tropical and subtropical waters, including estuaries and river systems. Sawfish developed from extinct primitive sharks. Sawfish are some of the largest rays living today.
The large-bodied species, which include the smallmouth, large tooth, and green sawfish, commonly reach 16.4 feet. We believe the maximum length of sawfish to be 24 feet. The rostrum, often referred to as the “saw”, is used during feeding and for defense. It slashes its saw in a side-to-side motion to dislodge invertebrates from the substrate and to stun schooling fishes. In addition, the sawfish can use its saw in defense against large predators such as sharks. Humans are too large to be viewed as potential prey.
Care must be taken when handling or approaching a sawfish of any size, as they may defend themselves when they feel threatened, using their rostrum to strike from side-to-side with considerable force. Sounds like the aquatic version of the “Texas Chainsaw Massacre”!
