Rare Australian fish has fins like hands
by Kevin May
The red handfish (pictured below) is one of several species of handfish that live in coastal
waters of southeastern Australia. It has quite unusual fins. The front pair of fins
look a bit like hands, while the pectoral fins are extended away from the body like
arms, ending with a hand-like paddle. The fish pushes against the seabed with these
fins to move along in search of food. It is quite capable of swimming quickly if
the need arises, but it prefers to stay on the seabed most of the time.
Photo by Gary Bell, <oceanwideimages.com>
The similarities between the handfish’s hand-like fins, crocodile feet, platypus forepaws and
human hands does not mean that these have a common evolutionary ancestry. Rather,
living things share many similarities because they share the same Designer. See
www.creation.com/lookalikes.
The fish’s motion could be described as ‘walking’, but it is not
the same kind of walk as that of land animals. Land animals support most or all
of their weight on their legs, which must be strong and heavy-boned to work. But
living under water, the handfish’s body weight is mostly carried by its buoyancy,
so the fins bear little weight. Their structure is light, well-suited to its way
of moving under water.
At least five species of handfish live around Tasmania. The red handfish (Brachionichthys
politus) was first described in 1849, being found in the vicinity of the
Port Arthur convict settlement. It is small, typically being about 8 cm (3.2 inches)
long when fully grown. They live in depths of 2–30 m (6–100 ft). They
were once fairly common in that area, but are now rare. Just a few specimens have
been collected. Their habitat is quite restricted, as they are only found in a few
places along Tasmania’s southeastern coast. They tend to remain in one area,
not roaming freely like many other fishes.
The spotted handfish (Brachionichthys hirsutus) is somewhat more common,
but even it is only found in a few locations nowadays. Early settlers around Hobart
reported them being common, but now they have mostly vanished, and are now considered
endangered. Only 20 years ago a book described them as ‘an excellent aquarium
specimen’.1 But now their
numbers are so low that their location is not publicized, to guard against collection
for illegal trade. Reasons given for their decline are loss of habitat, run-off
from built-up areas, and particularly the introduction of the Pacific sea star,
which eats their eggs.
Handfish are closely related to the better-known anglerfish. Anglerfish also have
extended pectoral fins, but their best-known feature is their ‘lure’.
Both anglerfish and handfish have a projection on their head, which in anglerfish
serves to attract other fish. Smaller fish investigate what looks to them like a
tasty morsel, only to find themselves swiftly becoming a meal for the anglerfish.
However since handfish eat mostly worms and crustaceans, they do not appear to use
their lure in quite the same way. Nevertheless the lure can be lowered or raised,
so it may serve to attract prey too.
There is no suggestion that handfish are in any way a ‘missing link’
between fish and animals with legs. The handfish is undoubtedly a fish, with gills
and fins, living at the bottom of the sea. So even though it can be said to ‘walk’,
that does not mean that it is part-way along some evolutionary path to becoming
a land creature. At the beginning God created all the living creatures to reproduce ‘after
their kind.’ Handfish have always been handfish just as God said, and
their offspring will always be handfish too.
We will do well to conserve this intriguing little creature, and try to keep it
from extinction. It is one of the many treasures of God’s creation, over which
He has made us stewards.
References
- Last, P.R., Scott, E.O.G. and Talbot, F.H., Fishes of
Tasmania, Tasmanian Fisheries Development Authority, Tasmania, p. 250, 1983.
Sources:
Edgar, G.J., Australian marine life, revised edition Reed New Holland,
Australia, p. 412, 2000.
Kuiter, RH., Coastal fishes of southeastern Australia, Crawford House Publishing
Pty Ltd, Australia, pp. 45–46, 2000. Return to text.
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