MONSTERS OF THE DEEP; Something fishy is going on beneath the waves.
Byline: By Sasha MansworthBE careful when you go for a dip in the deep blue sea as one of these frightening fish could decide to nibble on your little toe. If you're lucky, these monsters of the deep will swim off at the thought of biting on any bits not covered upby a bikini - but they will give you a fright if you encounter them while snorkelling on holiday.
Yesterday we revealed an incredible looking fish was the only specimen of its kind to be found in UK waters.
The bizarre 15-inch winged oriental flying gurnard was hauled up in the herring nets less than a mile from Penzance in Cornwall.
The fish, which has massive colourful wings, is usually found in hotter climes such as the Mediterranean and the Philippines, but this one had strayed many miles from home.
It would also be unusual to find the seaweed-like male leafy sea dragon out of its native Australian waters. And it would be a real shock to the system if you came across the fearsome-looking angler fish.
The ugly creature lives far under the surface - below 1000 metres, where the only light is produced by the animals who live in the gloomy depths.
Angler fish use giant lights on their heads to attract prey, and females use the lures to hook a mate.
Some of these monsters of the deep were only discovered recently.
Underwater camera operators encountered the bulbous-eyed winteria for the first time while filming the BBC's documentary Blue Planet.
The winteria may look like a cute underwater bushbaby with its two tubular eyes, but they are designed to look up at the surface and spot the silhouettes of unsuspecting prey.
Other odd-looking creatures include the aristostomias, toadfish and giant deep sea isopod.
CAPTION(S):
FISHY TALE: How we broke the story in yesterday's Record; HIDDEN HORRORS: The scary angler fish, left, and leafy sea dragon, above; SHELL SHOCK: The giant deep sea isopod resembles an underwater cockroach; DARK SECRET: An aristostomias fish, above, and a colourful toadfish, below; OUT OF THE BLUE:; The winteria fish, right, which uses its huge eyes to spot silhouettes of prey on the ocean's surface, was found by BBC's Blue Planet
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| Title Annotation: | Features |
|---|---|
| Publication: | Daily Record (Glasgow, Scotland) |
| Date: | Dec 9, 2004 |
| Words: | 370 |
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