Fish that walk – Tasmania’s Spotted Handfish

With pectoral fins that look like little feet, this “walking” Spotted Handfish was one of the first fish documented in Australian waters, and is not the only known handfish — there are pink, red, and yellow species, as well.

Up to 120 mm long (4.72 inches), the Spotted Handfish is found in the Tasmania’s Derwent Estuary. It is listed as critically endangered due to “land clearing, pollution and egg predation by the introduced northern Pacific Seastar.” This profile from CSIRO, Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, is from 1999.

In the archives: The Mudskipper, the Starry Handfish, fish and frogs that live out of water, and the Sea’s Strangest Square Mile.

via It’s Okay to Be Smart.