Posted on 02/02/2023 11:11:16 AM PST by Red Badger
RESEARCHERS have uncovered a bizarre new species of fish that resembles a unicorn with a prominent horn protruding from the front of its head.
The fish, which is blind and also lacks scales or any pigmentation, was found in pitch-black cave water within China's mountainous Guizhou province in the country's southwest.
Researchers have uncovered a bizarre fish species resembling a unicornCredit: Xu et el. 2023
The fish was found in a black-water Chinese caveCredit: Xu et el. 2023 The researchers dubbed the fish, which measures between 4.1 to 5.7 inches long, Sinocyclocheilus longicornus.
Details of the findings were published on January 17 in the journal ZooKeys.
According to the study, the fish has two pairs of barbels used for sensing its surrounding environment.
Most notable, however, is the fish's horn, which has perplexed researchers, Live Science reports.
The fish's name reflects the odd feature – longus means "long" in Latin, while cornu means "horn of the forehead."
At the time of the discovery, researchers were studying cavefish from the genus Sinocyclocheilus, which are only found in China.
To date, there are 76 known species of Sinocyclocheilus, and they likely share characteristics with the new fish.
These may include reduced eyes, dorsal-fin rays, lateral line pores, and gill rakers.
Loss of eyesight happens because of a process known as regressive evolution, which describes when a species loses useless features over generations.
The fish's horn-like structure may also be shared by some related species, although it likely varies in size.
"Horns Variable or specialized morphological characters of Sinocyclocheilus are closely related to the orogeny-producing dark cave environments," the study said.
"For example, horn-like structures (single or forked, long or short) or bulges on the back of the head, and degeneration or loss of eyes."
Based on the study, the team of researchers hypothesizes that the evolution of the horn may have occurred in "at least two independent formations, one weakening event, and one loss event."
Looks delicious.
I remember when Jaques Cousteau obtained a deep ocean submarine back in the early 70s and went down, he ran across some monstrous looking creature... I remember the translator saying “I don’t even know what that is.” Ever since then I’ve been aware that there are a lot of creatures down there that we know not of.
Sashimi.................
It’s a BIG OCEAN out there........................
Even a blind fish can find a woman’s bicycle once in a while.
The head looks like a bottle opener for an old-fashioned bottle of Coke.
I see what you did there Gloria.
Was he born that way or did he go blind the old-fashioned way (you know, the way your dad warned you about)
No hands..................🤦♂️
Ya got me.
Maybe fish don’t need hands. It’s not like they have magazine subscriptions either.
It looks like a funky P-38 to me.
Hmmm
The source ( scapegoat)
of the next
” scam/pandemic/bioweapin” 2.0 ?
That horn? That’s your gain of function, right there.
A WWII twin-tail aircraft?.....................
Chinese scientists will immediately get to work seeing if it carries any unique viruses that can be manipulated to infect humans.
Yes it was a toss up between Sinocyclocheilus longicornus and Sinocyclocheilus Popbottleopener
Might be Bill Engval’s dork fish.
“Blind”
Dumbasses.
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