Like a chicken has no teeth, a fish has no legs. It’s obvious. Well, not that much. Because on closer inspection, some fish can walk at the bottom of the sea. Thanks to a kind of legs derived from their ventral fins.
Triglidae are very common fish. They are found in all seas of the world. They are better known as gurnards. A kind of nickname they take from a funny ability they have. They are indeed able to emit sounds when they feel in danger. To scold…
But that’s far from the only way they stand out, in the world of fish. The Triglidae are also presented with ventral fins transformed… into legs. Legs that allow them to move, ” to run “ on the sands of seabed where they like to look for their food. But also, precisely, to detect their favorite prey.
A fish with legs
For scientists, the legs in question here are more exactly thorns. Thorns from fins gurnard. Spines which, during evolution, separated from said fins to become a leg. With muscles and a anatomy unique.
You should still know that as surprising as it may seem, gurnards are not the only fish that can walk. In Tasmania lives an even stranger fish. Scientists call it Thymichthys politus. It’s a goldfish which does not measure more than 10 centimeters. At the end of its fins, it has literally developed fingers that allow it to move on the seabed.
The climbing perch does not hesitate to walk on land… Always thanks to its pectoral fins. And to lungs that allow him to breathe in theair for six long days. But that’s another story…
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