12 weird fish species in the world, are they from aliens?

There are many contenders for the fascinating title of the world's strangest fish. Fish come in a wide variety of shapes, colors and sizes, and many species have unique adaptations. Some fish can change color to suit their environment, some have transparent heads, and some can even fly... including one that looks like it's made of pipe cleaners. Let’s take a look at some of the strangest and weirdest fish in the world…

1. Pacific barreleye fish

Nothing could be weirder than having a transparent head! The Pacific barreleye fish (Macropinna microstoma) has a transparent skull and most of its facial skin, allowing it to see its surroundings more clearly.

The barrel-eye fish is the only animal known to have eyes beneath the skin of its head. This unique design protects the vital organs these fish need to survive.

They live in the deep sea of the North Pacific, in waters about 1 kilometer deep, where there is a lack of light.

In that environment, the tiny, bizarre fish, only a few centimeters long, specializes in stealing prey from jellyfish. They track lurking predators by observing shadows or faint bioluminescence.

They get their name barrel-eye fish due to their special tube-shaped eyes, which allow them to carry out stealthy stalking. Similar to miniature binoculars, they provide tunnel vision and focus on tiny details. The green lenses of these fish also make glimmers of light in the dark more visible, shining like fireflies.

The Pacific barreleye is considered one of the strangest animals in the world due to its unique and bizarre appearance.

2. Stargazing fish

Stargazer fish, named for their almost comical, upward-looking eyes, spend most of their time buried in the sediments of the ocean floor, waiting for prey to pass by. Once prey appears, they will attack quickly. Stargazers also possess a variety of defensive weapons, including stingers and electric shocks, to deter their predators.

3. Flowerhorn Cichlid

If every face could tell a story, this one might tell a sad story about a golf ball falling into a pond. However, no tragic sports accidents have occurred here. This flowerhorn fish, part of the cichlid family, has a huge swollen forehead, known as a cervical hump, a feature that appears to be involved in attracting courtship mates.

Cichlids are known for their ability to form new species quickly, attracting the attention of evolutionary biologists and fish keepers. In fact, flowerhorn fish are the product of artificial selection and breeding, but they have been introduced in many areas around the world and often show invasive tendencies.

4. Squid

Squids are famous in nature for the impressive behavior they display in their courtship. The large male squid adopts a striking zebra-striped pattern to ward off rivals, and displays an attractive mottled pattern to the female on the other side - quite a feat. However, what should we do about those friends who cannot show off their power? They cleverly adopt the strategy of camouflage, becoming mottled in color, rounded in body, and behaving dignifiedly, just like females.

These "sporty" young males quietly approach an already existing mating pair, and the dominant male happily accepts the addition of another "pretending" female. Once close and successfully evading the radar, the impostor mates with the female and then quickly flees before revealing its disguise. This strategy has been so successful that it has become another way of mating for squids: wisdom over strength!

5. Blobfish

No list of strange fish would be complete without mentioning the infamous blobfish. The fish can be found in waters as deep as 1,200 meters, and it's this deep-water life that makes it look like an "85-year-old Mr Blobby" (according to the fish manager of the Australian Museum, which has the most famous fish) and made into specimens. However, the blobfish is actually a very misunderstood and unfairly rated creature.

6. Queen Parrotfish

During the day, the Queen Parrotfish (Scarus vetula) is a beautiful and diver-friendly reef fish. At night, however, it transforms into a reclusive sack of mucus. At sunset, the fish slides into crevices, using special glands located behind its gills to secrete bubbles of mucus that inflate to the fish's head like a diving helmet. At the same time, the pocket will expand toward the tail of the fish, and after about 30 minutes, the fish can rest in a very spacious bursa. This adaptability makes it worthy of a spot on the list of weirdest fish.

7. Yellow long-nosed butterfly fish

As its name suggests, the yellow long-nosed butterflyfish has a very long nose. However, this extended appendage is extremely useful, allowing this fish to easily access tiny bits of food hidden in the nooks and crannies of coral, giving it a competitive advantage over its own species. The species also uses its powerful teeth to tear apart bristle worms and sea urchins for consumption. Viewed from the front, its nose looks like a pair of tweezers, so it is also known as the tweezer fish.

8. Flying fish

Flying fish? it is true! Well, technically they're gliding rather than actually flying, but they're still impressive and a little weird. Flying fish have special fins called "wings," which are one or two pairs of broad, long fins that they spread to demonstrate their gliding skills. Instead of flapping their wings like birds, they use the flapping of their tails to gain speed underwater, then leap out of the water, glide across the water, and fly like paper airplanes with their stable wings.

9. Hairy frogfish

Is this guy an animal, a plant or a mineral? Even if you try to answer this question, its fur and moving legs may confuse you. The hairy frogfish, like other anglerfish, lures prey by swinging a worm-like lure at the end of a modified spine on its dorsal fin. Curious victims are sucked away by the current created when the predator opens its mouth, which can accommodate prey larger than the frogfish itself.

What's even more surprising is that the four pectoral and pelvic fins have been modified to allow this strange fish to crawl on the seafloor. This peculiar fish comes in various forms, including yellow, red, black, white, spots and stripes, depending on its habitat. Their hairstyles are also distinctive - spiky hairstyles thought to be meant to mimic sea urchins.

10. Red-lipped batfish

The red-lipped batfish (Ogcocephalus darwini) looks like it put on a layer of lipstick after drinking too much wine in the toilet. Judging from its dull expression, it seemed that the night had not gone well. This strange anglerfish is endemic to the Galapagos Islands. While its swimming abilities are rather limited, it makes up for this with modified fins that allow it to crawl along the seabed. Its brightly colored lips may have been used to attract mates.

11. Gorgeous ghost pipefish

It's hard to deny the charm of this colorful sea dragon, but compared to its close relatives, it seems a bit conventional. Seahorses, sea dragons and sea dragons are known for breaking the rules of traditional gender roles, with male sea dragons taking on the responsibility of incubating their young. Ghost pipefish, however, do things in a more traditional way. However, the situation is not entirely simple - the female must place the eggs into a pouch formed by the pelvic fins and provide them with nutrients through the skin until they hatch.

12. Sawfish

No need for geniusCan you guess how this strange fish got its name? Sawfishes are rays, not sharks, and are named for the long beak, or "saw," on the front of the head, which is lined with a series of beak teeth. It's easy to imagine them doing some DIY. They're not small either, with one species of sawfish growing up to 7 meters long, making it larger than a great white shark.

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