Some inhabitants of the underwater world are familiar to us, others we ate, and not everyone even knows about the existence of the third. There are fish species that we did not even know existed. They are completely different: huge and tiny, dangerous and not very, with bizarre shapes and strange names. From this article you will learn that, for example, there is a fish with human teeth. Its name is probably not known to every person. Many strange fish inhabit the underwater depths, we will also talk about them. So, we begin the journey into the fascinating and exotic world of fish.
Paku
This is the most real fish with human teeth. Paku is a freshwater inhabitant of many rivers in South America. It is found in the basins of Orinoco and the Amazon. I got to Papua New Guinea, where they began to breed it artificially in order to raise the fishing industry to a higher level. Fish with human teeth belongs to the same genus as Piranha (Serrasalminae), although their preferences and habits differ. Piranha is a carnivorous species, but the paku eats absolutely everything, prefers vegetation.
Fish with human teeth: why is it called that?
The most important difference between pacu and piranha is the structure of the teeth. Piranha, as we know, is the owner of sharp teeth, which many compare with a razor. But the fish with human teeth has a completely different structure of the jaws, which is why it is called that. If you look into her mouth, you can really get scared and horrified. Her teeth are square and straight, they are very similar to human. Fish uses them mainly for chopping fruits and nuts, although it can also enjoy invertebrates. It was her craving for nuts that once robbed the genitals of two fishermen in Papua New Guinea. As you can see, even though Paku is not such a predator as piranha, the strength of its jaws can still do irreparable harm. But in the USA, the fish is legal, and anyone can buy it and place it in the aquarium. But for some reason, people do not take into account that the paku can grow up to a meter and weigh about 30 kg. Therefore, then the owners simply release it into the nearest body of water. This can explain the fact of the appearance of fish in Denmark, England. Some sources report that the pack is already in Russia.
Lion fish
Continuing to talk about what unusual fish of the world exist, we cannot lose sight of this cute creature. Lion fish is mostly motionless among corals, only occasionally swims from one place to another. It attracts the attention of people and numerous aquatic inhabitants with an unusual color, dorsal and pectoral fins that resemble a large fan. However, the sharp appearance hides sharp needles that secrete poison. A fish will never be the first to attack a person, but if he accidentally steps on it or even touches it, then from just one injection the general state of health will worsen. And after several injections, a person will not be able to swim to the shore on his own, he will need help.
Black-headed shark
This predator is called so because of the brown formation on the body, which looks like a cloak. And due to the large number of folds on the skin, it is also called a corrugated shark. Scientists believe that such formations on the skin serve as a reserve of body volume for placement in the stomach of large prey. Because of the teeth bent inward, this inhabitant of the water is unable to crush food, so she swallows her prey whole. This is where folds on the skin that can stretch out come in handy. You can see a shark in any ocean, but not in the Arctic.
Drop fish
Some species of fish are really able to impress with their appearance. Drop fish is one of them. It looks so unattractive that it is considered one of the most terrible fish on the planet. They inhabit the coast of Tasmania and Australia, and at the moment there is a threat of their complete extinction. The body of this ugly fish consists of a gelatinous mass, the density of which is less than the density of water. She has absolutely no muscles, but this does not prevent her from lazily opening her mouth and swallowing everything that swims in front of her (if it is edible).
Bolsherot
This unusual individual dwells in the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian oceans. The body of the bolsherot is narrow and long (up to 1 meter). And the mouth has gigantic dimensions (a third of the entire length of the body), and it can even stretch. This unusual inhabitant of the oceans does not have scales, ribs, a swimming bladder and a normal bone skeleton. The thin body on the tail turns into a thread, at the end of which there is a luminous organ. Due to the presence of only light cartilage and deformed bones in the skeleton, the fish is very light, it has tiny eyes and a very small skull. The size of the jaws allows the Bolsherot to swallow prey, which is larger than it in size.
Sackcloth
This deep-sea creature is also called the black devourer. This fish grows no more than 30 cm in length, and they named it because of the ability to absorb the entire prey, which is several times larger than itself. For example, it can easily swallow a prey that is 4 times longer and 10 times heavier than the sackcloth itself! Her jaws are very large, and her fangs help keep her prey while the fish pushes her into her stomach. When food begins to decompose in the stomach, a lot of gas is formed there, due to which the fish involuntarily rises to the surface of the water. Very little is known about these inhabitants, since it is simply impossible to observe their way of life in their natural conditions.
Macropinna small
It is impossible to see this fish and not cry out in fright and surprise at the same time. Why? Because she has a clear head! A barrel-eye (second name) can easily monitor prey through such a head with its tubular eyes. The individual was discovered only in 1939. In her usual environment, she is motionless, and if she decides to move, she does it in a horizontal position and very slowly. Previously, it was completely incomprehensible how the fish’s eyes work, because there are smelling organs right above her mouth, and her eyes are located right inside her surprisingly transparent head, and they look only up. In 2009, scientists finally found out that the macropin has an extremely unusual structure of the eye muscles. It turns out that the fish’s eyes are usually in an upright position, and if there is a need to look forward, it moves them horizontally! Once this happens, she can see her mouth and grab the prey!
Angler
This is a real deep-sea monster. He is called not only angler, but also the devil fish. This fish has black bare skin, a spherical body shape, and the female has a fishing rod. This predator hunts due to a special outgrowth on its back - in the process of evolution, one part of the dorsal fin is separated from others, and at its end a transparent bag appears, in which bacteria live. Most interestingly, anglerfish can make these bacteria light up! He regulates this by narrowing or widening the blood vessels. The female can grow up to 65 cm, and the male - only up to 15-45 mm! When the male ends puberty, he attaches to the female with sharp teeth (usually from the side). Soon he grows together with her tongue and lips, and his teeth, intestines, eyes are reduced in such a way that he becomes a simple appendage that has lost its independence.
