How animals camouflage in nature is truly impressive. They’ve been doing it for millions of years, which is why they’re so good at it.
Most animals, including reptiles and mammals, camouflage for survival purposes. What might surprise you is that fish can camouflage, too. That’s why some fish don’t look like fish at all in the first place.
Here’s a list of some of the weirdest-looking fish out in the ocean.
1. Goblin Shark
The goblin shark is one of the scariest deep sea creatures ever discovered. It has a long, pointy nose that makes it look like a unicorn from a scary story. The skin of this shark is pink, making it seem like it has no skin at all.
However, unlike other sharks, this shark doesn’t swim fast but simply floats in the water and waits for smaller fish to come by. Once that happens, the goblin shark’s jaws open and snap the fish up.
Experts thought these sharks were only about 13 feet long. However, in 2000, a 20-foot-long goblin shark was caught, so we still don’t know how big they can get.
2. Blobfish
Image credit: lonelyplanet.com
The blobfish is often called the ugliest fish in the world because it looks like a sad, squishy blob with a big nose and droopy face when brought to the surface.
Blobfish live deep in the ocean where the pressure holds them together. When brought to the surface, they turn into a blob because their bodies deflate.
3. Lamprey
These ancient, eel-like creatures don’t look like typical fish. They’re actually parasites, which means they latch onto other fish and suck their blood.
Lampreys have a round mouth full of sharp teeth and a barbed tongue, and they use this to drill into their prey. They can live in both saltwater and freshwater, and they can even climb waterfalls. When they feed, they leave round, nasty wounds on their victims that take a long time to heal.
4. Reef Stonefish
The reef stonefish, which looks like a stone, is actually one of the most venomous fish out there. Their venom is very dangerous, even deadly. Luckily, antivenoms exist, and stepping on one isn’t common.
Stonefish usually hang around in shallow waters and sit on the ocean floor, waiting for prey to come close. They can bury themselves in the sand using their fins. Some even have algae growing on them, making their disguise even better.
5. Lionfish
Lionfish have long, striped fins that look like a lion’s mane, covered in venomous spines, making lionfish one of the most venomous sea creatures. If you get stung, it can be very painful and sometimes even deadly.
Lionfish also have excellent hunting skills. They blend into their surroundings, making it hard for prey to see them.
They’re considered invasive in many parts of the world because they have no natural predators outside their native range. This means they can cause big problems for local ecosystems.
6. Leafy Sea Dragon
Leafy sea dragons have leaf-like extensions all over their bodies, making them look like floating seaweed. This helps them hide from predators in the waters around Australia.
They’re related to seahorses and just like male seahorses, male leafy sea dragons can also become pregnant.
Moreover, like other fish that can change color, these creatures sometimes blend with their surroundings. But unlike seahorses, they can’t grab onto seaweed with their tails, so they often get washed ashore during storms.
7. Tasselled Anglerfish
Anglerfish look like a piece of coral with orange plant-like extensions. This helps them hide from both predators and prey. They also have a special lure on their head that lights up, attracting smaller fish. When the prey gets close, the anglerfish snaps it up with their big mouth.
Anglerfish live deep in the ocean, where it’s dark, so their glowing lure is very effective. They’re related to frogfish and share many of the same features.
8. Cuttlefish
These animals have unique superpowers, and can change their skin color and texture for survival purposes in seconds. Their skin has over 10 million color cells, which help create various patterns to hide from predators and sneak up on prey. They’re also smart, problem-solvers, remember things and even learn from watching others.
Fun fact: The US military has studied cuttlefish to learn how to improve their disguise.
9. Red-Lipped Batfish
The red-lipped batfish has bright red lips that make it look like it’s wearing lipstick, and even scientists aren’t sure why it has red lips, but they think it might help attract mates.
Moreover, red-lipped batfish don’t swim well. Instead, they walk on the ocean floor using their fins as legs. You can find this beauty near the Galapagos Islands and Peru.
10. Asian Sheepshead Wrasse
The Asian sheepshead wrasse is a very interesting fish found in the waters around Japan. It changes sex from female to male when it’s around ten years old and only if there’s not a single dominant male around. The male fish have a large hump on their head, which makes them easily recognizable.
11. Largetooth Sawfish
The large-tooth sawfish has a long, saw-like snout called a rostrum covered in sharp teeth. Sawfish use their snout to sense and catch prey. The way they catch their prey is pretty disgusting. They wave their snout back and forth to cut through schools of fish.
Unfortunately, this type of ray found in both saltwater and freshwater is rare because of overfishing and habitat loss. Their long snouts often get tangled in fishing nets, which is why their population is declining.
Should ocean fishing be banned to preserve rare species like the large-tooth sawfish?
12. Barreleye Fish
The barreleye fish has a transparent head, so you can see their rotating eyes. They actually rotate their eyes to look up through the top of their head. This helps the fish spot prey in the dark, deep ocean where it lives.
The barreleye fish is about 15 centimeters long and tracks bioluminescent prey with their eyes. It’s rarely seen by humans because it lives in very deep waters.
13. Ghost Catfish
You can see right through the body of this fish, which makes it look like a ghost.
The ghost catfish is found in rivers in Thailand and is popular in aquariums. When light hits the body of this fish, it creates a rainbow effect, making it look very pretty.
What’s interesting about ghost fish is that they don’t have scales, but tiny crystals that bend light. This helps them blend in with the water and hide from predators.
Ghost catfish usually swim in schools for protection.
14. Fried Egg Jellyfish
The fried egg jellyfish looks like a fried egg and isn’t a fish. It floats around the ocean, and small fish and crabs often hitch a ride on it. They hide between their tentacles for protection, which fried egg jellyfish use for catching prey.
Fun fact: They are around 500 million years old, which makes them three times as old as dinosaurs.
15. Ocean Sunfish
The ocean sunfish looks like a big, flat disk and can weigh more than a car. It has a habit of floating near the surface to sunbathe after diving deep to hunt. This helps it warm up. The sunfish can lay up to 300 million eggs at a time, which is more than any other fish.
Fun fact: In 17th-century Japan, these fish were even used to pay taxes.
