A rare species of fish nearing extinction
The rare species of the spotted handfish is nearing extinction after roaming this earth for more that 55 million years. It is said their population decrease is due to pollution, people capturing them for pets and much more. So help keep this species alive.
What makes these little fish so special is evident in their name. As their name suggests The spotted handfish (Brachionichthys hirsutus) is one of the world's most endangered marine fish. This extremely distinctive fish is almost pear-shaped and unusually, has hand-like 'paired fins' that enable it to 'walk' along the seafloor; When swimming through the water, the unpaired fins (such as the tail and anal fin) are used . These fish are cream in colour with a spots of dusky brown, and occasionally yellow-brown spots, the patterns are different with every fish. Some fish also have orange markings on their fins. Handfish have a small lure just above their mouth which may serve to catch prey, although its exact function is unknown. …show more content…
The spotted handfish originate from the lower Derwent River in Tasmania, the spotted handfish were found most until the 1980s. The small percent of spotted handfish still on earth are normally found in Tasmania. Tasmania is found in Australia.
The spotted handfish has a very small and restricted diet of eating crustaceans, polychaete worms and small shells. a polychaete worm is a small worm like creature found floating in all kinds of waters.
Their numbers have been in decline due to many mostly man-made factors like pollution, climate change, ect. In 2002, spotted handfish were listed as "critically endangered" on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, though the problems stay A recent survey in the species' final numbers, the Derwent river estuary, counted just 79 spotted handfish
The rare species of the spotted handfish is nearing extinction after roaming this earth for more that 55 million years. It is said their population decrease is due to pollution, people capturing them for pets and much more. So help keep this species alive.
What makes these little fish so special is evident in their name. As their name suggests The spotted handfish (Brachionichthys hirsutus) is one of the world's most endangered marine fish. This extremely distinctive fish is almost pear-shaped and unusually, has hand-like 'paired fins' that enable it to 'walk' along the seafloor; When swimming through the water, the unpaired fins (such as the tail and anal fin) are used . These fish are cream in colour with a spots of dusky brown, and occasionally yellow-brown spots, the patterns are different with every fish. Some fish also have orange markings on their fins. Handfish have a small lure just above their mouth which may serve to catch prey, although its exact function is unknown. …show more content…
The spotted handfish originate from the lower Derwent River in Tasmania, the spotted handfish were found most until the 1980s. The small percent of spotted handfish still on earth are normally found in Tasmania. Tasmania is found in Australia.
The spotted handfish has a very small and restricted diet of eating crustaceans, polychaete worms and small shells. a polychaete worm is a small worm like creature found floating in all kinds of waters.
Their numbers have been in decline due to many mostly man-made factors like pollution, climate change, ect. In 2002, spotted handfish were listed as "critically endangered" on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, though the problems stay A recent survey in the species' final numbers, the Derwent river estuary, counted just 79 spotted handfish