@mbari_news: Live, laugh, love, snailfish 🌊 Snailfishes (family Liparidae) are a diverse and thriving group of fishes with over 400 described species. They have tadpole-like bodies with broad pectoral fins and tiny tail fins. Their pelvic fins are modified to form a suction cup allowing them to fasten onto rocks, corals, or research equipment, and hold tight in strong currents. They have been observed clinging to crabs where they may lay eggs inside the gill cavity of their host. Snailfishes are found globally in all ocean basins, from shallow intertidal waters to the deepest depths of the ocean. They are among the most common fishes living in deep-sea trenches. In fact, the Mariana snailfish (Pseudoliparis swirei) holds the record for the deepest-dwelling seafloor fish (down to 8,178 meters or 26,800 feet).

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Tuesday 22 October 2024 20:18:29 GMT