A species of sea robin called Prionotus carolinus studied by researchers used their leglike appendages for walking, digging and sensing the seafloor. – Anik Grearson
Harvard and Stanford researchers were understandably amazed the first time they encountered a walking fish called a sea robin.
The unusual animal has a fish’s body, delicate fins that resemble a bird’s wings and six leglike appendages similar to those of a crab.
When the scientists decided to study the sea robins on a genetic level, they encountered a surprise in the lab: While some sea robins use their “legs” just to walk, others use them to dig for prey on the seafloor.
The team captured video of the digging sea robins, whose specialized appendages are covered in sensitive taste buds akin to those on a human tongue to detect prey.
The wonder
Catch up on these fresh finds:
— New footage has shown the matriarch of a mysterious orca group hunting a dolphin and sharing the meal with her pod off coastal Chile.
— The remains of a 32,000-year-old woolly rhino unearthed from Siberia’s permafrost are so well-preserved that its skin and fur are still intact, providing key insights into the extinct species.
— Marine biologists discovered a species of ghost shark, named the Australasian narrow-nosed spookfish, in the deep ocean waters near Australia and New Zealand.
— Scientists found evidence of a 30 million-year-old leafy forest trapped in peat on the Falkland Islands near Antarctica, where trees haven’t grown for tens of thousands of years.
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Publish date : 2024-09-28 08:10:00
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