Fishy arms and legs
by Shaun Doyle
Photo Wikipedia
An incredibly well camouflaged blackspot anglerfish (Tathicarpus butleri), has fins with bones
like arms and legs, but does not use them for walking and it has nothing to do with the evolution
of land-dwelling walking creatures, according to the evolutionary story.
Incredible though it may seem, there's a beautifully camouflaged fish in this picture. An Australian
fisherman found it attached to his crab pot when he pulled it up. It was only identified when pictures
of it were sent to fish expert Professor Ted Pietsch, from the University of Washington in the
United States. The news came back that it was a fish that hadn't been seen in 100 years, a blackspot
anglerfish (Tathicarpus butleri).1
One of the most striking features of this species of anglerfish was its unusual fin structure. The
fins look similar to arms and legs, complete with elbows, knees, fingers and toes! However, the
joints in the fins and the appendages at the end are not used for walking. Rather, the fins are
used for holding onto rocks while waiting for prey.
An important thing to note is that this fish, much like epaulette sharks2 and
the handfish,3 is not evidence for the evolution
of land vertebrates. Anglerfish are members of the class Actinopterygii (ray-finned fish), but modern
land vertebrates are supposed to have evolved from members of the class Sarcopterygii (lobe-finned
fish). Rather, it makes it harder for evolution to explain how locomotion would develop twice independently
of one another.
Sadly for researchers, the fish was found dead after having leapt out of its tank the day after it
was first reported.4
Related articles
References and notes
- Zemek, S., Susan spits out rare fish, Fraser Coast Chronicle,
22 November 2007, pp. 1, 3. Return to text.
- Doyle, S., Walking sharks: evolution in action? Journal of
Creation 21(1):10–11, 2007. Return to text.
- May, K., Rare Australian fish has fins like hands, Creation 28(3):28–29,
2006. Return to text.
- Rare fish climbs to death, Fraser Coast Chronicle, 23 November
2007, p. 1. Return to text.
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