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Tripod fish
Bathypterois spp.
Tripod fish use their enormously elongated fin rays to stand on the ocean floor. Deep-sea fish, they have tiny eyes and probably sense their prey from vibrations. They are true hermaphrodites - having both male and female sexual organs.
Subspecies
There are several subspecies.
Statistics
Some species reach lengths of 30cm.
Physical Description
The tripod fish is a deep-sea animal named for its unusual posture. The fish has enormously elongated pectoral fins (fins behind the gill openings) and tail fin, which it uses to rest on the muddy ocean floor. In this position, the fish resembles a tripod, with the body raised up off the sea bed by its fins and tail.
Distribution
They are widespread.
Habitat
Tripod fish live on the sea floor to depths of 5,600m
Diet
They feed on copepods and other small planktonic crustaceans.
Behaviour
Tripod fish have extremely small eyes and, instead of relying on sight, use other senses to find their prey. The pectoral fins are raised upwards and are probably specialised for feeling vibrations in the water.
Solitary fish, they spend much of the time standing on the bottom, facing into the current and waiting for passing prey.
Reproduction
Because animals are so sparse on the sea floor at depth, a tripod fish may not be able to find a potential mate when it needs one. However, each individual is hermaphrodite - each animal has both male and female sex organs. In the tripod fish, both sets of organs mature at the same time.
If all else fails, one tripod fish can potentially reproduce on its own by fertilising its own eggs.
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