For the first time in 22 years, a rare pink-colored handfish has been sighted off the coast of the Australian island of Tasmania. In the past, this very unusual species has only been observed five times, the most recent in 1999 by a diver. Fearing for its survival, local environmental protection authorities recently classified it as an endangered species.
As its name indicates, the species has oversized “hands” on which they “walk” along the bottom in addition to swimming. To immortalize the pink hand fish of about 15 centimeters, at a depth of 150 meters, was a camera placed on the bottom of the Tasman Fracture marine park to survey corals, lobsters and other species living in the protected area. As large as Switzerland, the park is known to cover an area with a long fracture in the earth’s crust that allows marine life to proliferate up to 4,000 meters deep. This time the very rare fish was spotted in deeper and more open waters than in the past. He was “surprised” as he emerged from a ledge after being disturbed by a lobster.
At first intrigued by the hustle and bustle and the camera, the fish observed the scene for a few seconds before swimming away. “This is an exciting discovery and offers hope for the ongoing survival of the pink handfish, as they clearly have a wider habitat and distribution than previously thought,” said lead researcher and marine biologist Neville Barrett, associate professor. at the University of Tasmania. The pink hand fish is one of 14 types of hand fish seen in Tasmania, the southern island of Australia.
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