“Fish-prawn” hybrid filmed walking backwards in the deep sea
Researchers have filmed the armoured searobin, a deep-sea fish, walking backwards on the seafloor using specialized pectoral fin rays. This behavior, observed in the South China Sea, provides new insights into the locomotion of this unique species.
Why it matters
Documenting previously unknown behaviors in deep-sea species expands our understanding of marine biology and evolutionary adaptation.
A bizarre deep-sea fish that looks part fish, part prawn has been filmed walking backwards for the first time, revealing an unusual behaviour that has never previously been recorded in a fish.
Researchers from Sun Yat-sen University and the Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (both in the Guangdong Province of China) used remotely operated and human-occupied vehicles to observe three species of armoured searobin in their natural environment in the northern South China Sea.
The armoured searobin ( Scalicus engyceros ) was filmed using specialised rays extending from its pectoral fins to move along the seafloor. The footage confirmed that searobins can walk not only forwards and sideways, but also backwards using their free pectoral-fin rays.
The findings, published in the journal Ocean-Land-Atmosphere Research , provide a rare glimpse of the behaviour of a deep-sea animal that has traditionally been studied from preserved specimens.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in