Sea bats: amazing fish that don’t swim but walk along the bottom

There are many amazing creatures in the oceans that can turn our understanding of the animal world. Some of them are fish from the family of batfish, which swim poorly and reluctantly, and instead can walk along the bottom, using their fins as legs.

Batfish are small heat-loving fish whose size does not exceed 35 centimeters. The appearance of these fish is quite unusual: a huge head compared to the body, eyes looking forward and a mouth with fleshy lips, which in some species have a very bright color. On top of that, their pectoral fins have an uncharacteristic appearance for fish. The dorsal and caudal fins of these fish are quite common, but the pairs of pectoral and ventral fins serve to walk along the bottom. The posterior ventral fins of the bat are somewhat reminiscent of the legs of frogs.

Bats, and in total there are more than 30 species, live in the tropical and subtropical latitudes of the oceans. They lead a benthic lifestyle and live at a depth of 30 to 1000 meters, depending on the species. Bats are predators that prey on small fish, crustaceans and marine invertebrates. But they are passive predators who prefer to hide or burrow in the ground, waiting for their prey at the bottom. Many species have an unusual outgrowth on their heads, which secretes special substances and serves as a bait for small fish. Batfish are loners who rarely go outside their habitat on the seabed.

Fortunately for the bat, they have no natural enemies, and for humans they do not represent any economic interest. Therefore, the numbers of these amazing animals are not in danger.