Rarest Fishes in the World

27 Aquatic Lifeforms You Never Caught While Fishing:

Black-lip RattailThese sorts of rattails feed in the muddy seafloor by gliding along head down and tail up, powered by gentle undulations of a long fin under the tail. The triangular head has sensory cells underneath that help detect animals buried in the mud or sand. The common name comes from the black edges around the mouth.

Humpback AnglerfishThis black seadevil, of the size of a tennis ball, is one of the weirdest fish in the world. Female humpback anglers have an enormous head dominated by a cavernous mouth full of long slender teeth that can fold backwards when prey is being swallowed.

Atlantic WolffishThe Atlantic Wolffish is a large bottom-dwelling predatory marine fish. The species is widely distributed across the North Atlantic.

AxolotlYou can learn more on this amphibian called axolotl on http://www.axolotl.org/ . This one is in the same family than the tiger salamander. The only place on earth you can find those one are at Lake Xochimilco in Mexico.

Black ChimaeraChimaeras are related to both sharks and rays. They are jawed fish with paired fins, paired nostrils, scales, two-chambered hearts, and skeletons made of cartilage rather than bone. Chimaeras grow up to two meters long, are found in the ocean floors and have a venomous spine which they use for defense purposes.

Black SwallowerThe black swallower (Chiasmodon niger) is a deep sea fish that has the ability to extend its stomach 3 times its size so that it can swallow fish that are bigger than itself. It can be found in deep seas up to 1,500 meters or in hot tropical waters. It creates its own light because of the darkness found in some parts of the Pelagic zone. The black swallower can grow up to 25 centimeters.

Clown TriggerfishThe Clown Triggerfish or Big-spotted Triggerfish is one of the most spectacular looking marine species. This species grows to 50 cm in length and is usually found in the warm parts of the Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean and the Red Sea. Even though its appearance is quite innocent; this fish is an aggressive carnivore that primarily preys on shelled invertebrates.

CoelacanthThey are the oldest kind of fish we know on earth. They were believed to be extinct before fisherman captured a couple of them in the 1930s.

Deep-sea glass squidA martian? No, it’s the glass squid. This odd looking creature is located in the southern hemisphere and is the prey of many deep sea fish (ex: goblin sharks), whales and oceanic seabirds.

Deep-Sea LizardfishThe Deep-Sea Lizardfish, is a member of the Synodontidae family, it is found throughout the world in tropical and subtropical seas at depths of between 600 and 3,500 m. It is considered as an ambush predator hunting in the abyssal seafloor and devouring prey with its razor sharp barbed teeth.

Deep-sea stargazerStargazers are a family of muscular bulldog-like fishes that typically bury in the seafloor and ambush passing prey. Stargazers are the ultimate ambush predator, with the eye sets on top of the head allowing it to be almost completely hidden. This is combined with an electrical capability which can be used to stun its prey.

Dumbo OctopusThe deep-sea “Dumbo” octopus got its nickname from the ear-like fins protruding from the top of their “heads” (actually bodies), resembling the ears of Walt Disney ’s flying elephant . They are benthic creatures, living at extreme depths, and are some of the rarest of the Octopoda species.

EelpoutThe eelpouts are a family of perciform ray-finned fish They are found in Arctic and Antarctic.

Fangtooth Fish

The Fangtooth fish is found in midwater depths of about five kilometers (three miles). They are extremely muscular and their teeth are so long that when the jaw is shut, the lower pair must slide into special sheathes on either side of the fish’s brain to avoid impaling it.

Giant HatchetfishThe giant hatchetfish is found in deep tropical and subtropical waters of all oceans, except the north Pacific. Its length is between 8 and 12 cm. The giant hatchetfish is a deep-bodied species with large eyes that are directed upwards, enabling prey to be silhouetted against the faint light coming from the surface, and a large mouth also directed upwards.

Leafy Sea DragonSea Dragons are arguably the most spectacular and mysterious of all ocean fish. Leafy Sea Dragons are very interesting to watch– the leafy appendages are not used for movement. The body of a sea dragon scarcely appears to move at all.

LionfishA distinguishing feature of the Lionfish is its large fan-like pectoral fins. They are potentially dangerous, not only to the smaller fish the prey upon, but to humans, as well. The spines on its dorsal fins contain a strong poison, which is perhaps one reason they are totally unafraid of divers.

Longhorn CowfishThe longhorn cowfish are found in the Indo-Pacific region. Their flesh is poisonous and would not make for a very good meal !

Longlure FrogfishThe Longlure frogfish are found in tropical oceans and seas around the world. They are small fish with large odd looking heads. They are mostly bottom-dwelling fishes that are well camouflaged; they employ the first dorsal spine as a fishing lure to attract prey.

LumpfishThe longest lumpfish so far recorded from the American coast measured 23 inches, and weighed 13¼ pounds; the heaviest weighed 20 pounds but measured only 21½ inches (both from Orient, N. Y.), and the proportion of weight to length varies similarly in smaller fish.

Mantis ShrimpThis highly intelligent hunter with claws can lash out at prey with the force of a gunshot. Larger varieties have been known to shatter glass or sever human fingers. Most are either “spearers” (with sharp, mantidlike claws) or “smashers” (with blunt, clublike claws for cracking hard-shelled prey). Rare among invertebrates are the monogamous mating habits that several species demonstrate. Mated pairs share a burrow, and the male hunts for both his mate and young.

MudskipperThe mudskipper are special kind of fish that live most of their life on land beside than into the water. They are located in the Indo-Pacific as well than in the Atlantic coast of Africa. Mudskippers are quite active when out of water.

Northern SeahorseThe seahorse is also one of the top weird sea creature. The male are carrying the egg in a special abdominal pouch, like you can see on the picture.

Robot FishThis one is a robo-carp you can observe at the London Aquarium. It’s a self-guided robot-fish who use artificial intelligence and sensors to avoid obstacles . It’s a 50cm long common carp, swimming with thei living counterparts.

Slander LanternfishThe slender lanternfish are so abondant in the ocean that some people pretend they are the most common fish in the sea. Lanternfishes are recognised by their small light organs dotted along the undersides of their bodies.

SnaggletoothScience experiment gone wrong? Sadly this is not the case. The Snaggletooth or Astronesthes slightly resembles the South American Payara without the charcoal finish and lack of scales. The Snaggletooth is a powerful predatory fish who resides in the deep waters between Australia and New Zealand.

Prehistoric Frilled SharkFlaring the gills that give the species its name, a frilled shark swims at Japan's Awashima Marine Park on Sunday, January 21, 2007. Sightings of living frilled sharks are rare, because the fish generally remain thousands of feet beneath the water's surface. Spotted by a fisher on January 21, this 5.3-foot (160-centimeter) shark was transferred to the marine park, where it was placed in a seawater pool. "We think it may have come to the surface because it was sick, or else it was weakened because it was in shallow waters," a park official told the Reuters news service. But the truth may never be known, since the "living fossil" died hours after it was caught.

Source: bountyfishing.com