Jellynose Fish

Photo courtesy from charles-messing.squarespace.com

Jellynose Fish (Guentherus altivela)

Other Name: Highfin Tadpole fish
Max. Length:
200  centimeters
Length at 1st Maturity:
98.8 centimeters
a value:
b value:
Depth Range:
200 – 800 meter (660 – 2,640 feet)
Frequency:
Abundant in Deep Water Environments

Photo courtesy from Real Monstrosities

This is one of the few species you can see during your deep sea adventures in Cocos Island using a submersible where the size of this fish is relatively large and long compared to other nearby deep sea residents. Aside from its size, you can easily identify a jellynose fish from its catfish-like body and a head of a tadpole where its name was derived. But what really stands out with the jellynose fish are their highly erected dorsal and pectoral fins. Further, if you try to closely observe the head portion, you will notice that the fatty fluids are transparent which looks like our favorite jelly. Do you think its yummy? No, I don’t think so.

 

 

Your Deep-Sea Experience with a Jellynose Fish

Once you start descending from your submersible and arrive at the upper portions of the continental slope with depths ranging from 200 to 300 meters, you can start seeing this strange looking and large sea creature where it is often swimming near the substrate.

Photo courtesy from Real Monstrosities

Although they mainly rely on their senses, the artificial light from your submersible gives the jellynose fish the opportunity to target nearby prey where fish and benthic invertebrates like deep-sea echinoderms (such as sea urchins) and decapods (crabs and shrimps) are their favorite meal.

There are instances that a jellynose fish will be quite showy instead of being an elusive creature especially if it has been stimulated by the artificial light of your submersible. In this case, they will come close to your submersible, or if not, allow you to personally witness them in search for their favorite meal where they use their size and senses to easily catch food.

Difficult to Catch

First, let us clarify that we are not encouraging you to catch this deep sea creature. What we mean is that a specimen of this fish is relatively hard to catch for scientific studies since little knowledge exist about this deep sea inhabitant.

Instead, what scientist employ is the use of a trawl survey where they scour the ocean bottom to study the dynamics of this deep sea ecosystem that we have very little knowledge as compared to the surface of the moon. But we are NOT saying that we are promoting Trawl Fisheries as it has been proven to be destructive where anything that goes in to the way of its net will either be caught or destroyed.

But what we are suggesting is that if you happen to visit the market, which i think most of us do, is to try to look at the fishes they are selling. And if you happen to observe the presence of a jellynose fish, take due diligence to ask the fishermen where they caught it. Or perhaps buy the specimen and donate it to research institutions where they can learn and extract the much needed information.

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Reference

Fishbase: www.fishbase.org

IUCN Redlist of Threatened Species: www.iucnredlist.org

World Register of Marine Species: www.marinespecies.org

Video courtesy from Undersea Hunter

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