The VALiens

Zoology with: Pink Handfish

Handfish is an anglerfish of the family Brachionichthyidae, a group which comprises five genera and fourteen extant species.

These benthic marine fish are unusual in the way they propel themselves by walking on the sea floor rather than swimming.

Anatomy

Handfish are small fish, growing up to 15 centimetres (5.9 in) long, have skin covered with denticles (tooth-like scales), giving them the alternate name warty anglers. They are slow-moving fishes that prefer to ‘walk’ rather than swim, using their modified pectoral fins to move about on the sea floor. These highly modified fins have the appearance of hands, hence their scientific name, from Latin bracchium meaning “arm” and Greek ichthys meaning “fish”.

Distribution

Handfishes are found today in the coastal waters of southern Australia and Tasmania. This is the most species-rich of the few marine fish families that are endemic to the Australian region.