Tripod fish

Taxobox
name = Tripod fish

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regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Actinopterygii
ordo = Aulopiformes
familia = Ipnopidae
genus = "Bathypterois"
species = "B. grallator"
binomial = "Bathypterois grallator"
binomial_authority = (Goode & Bean, 1886) The tripod fish, "Bathypterois grallator", is a bathypelagic (deep sea) fish named for the long extensions of its pelvic and lower caudal fins, on which it stands on the sea floor. The tripod fish is closely related to the smaller spiderfish ("Bathypterois longifilis"), which is similar in appearance and habits but smaller and with much shorter fin extensions; the two species are often found standing very near to one another on the ocean floor.

Description

Tripod fish are relatively small, the largest known specimen having measured only convert|37|cm|in|sp=us,Fact|date=July 2008 but the three elongated fins of the tripod fish may extend to nearly one meter (3 ft 3 in) in length. The fish is slender, deeper than it is wide and with very small eyes that probably are not useful at the depths at which the fish lives. Tripod fish are very sensitive to the vibrations of other animals in the water. In addition to its tripods, the fish also has unusually large pectoral fins. Tripod fish have been found at depths of anywhere from 900m to 3500m (2950-11500 ft), and are distributed in all oceans in the equatorial regions.

The tripod fish is a relatively sedentary fish. It spends much of its adult life standing on the ocean bottom on its fins. The fish stands facing the prevailing current, and hunts by extending its unusually long pectoral fins into the current and waiting for the small crustaceans on which it feeds to simply bump into its fins. The fish grasps its prey in the pectoral fins and directs it toward its mouth.

The extensions of the pelvic and caudal fins are stiff enough for the fish to stand on them for (presumably) extended periods of time. However, deep sea researchers have succeeded in surprising the fish enough to make it swim; when it swims, the tripods seem to be quite flexible.

Life cycle

Very little is known about the life cycle of the tripod fish. The habits of the young of the species are virtually unknown. It is estimated that the species has very low resilience, and based on its sexual habits the total population and genetic variance of the tripod fish are both assumed to be small.

Pop culture references

In the song "Triops Has Three Eyes" by They Might Be Giants (featured on their children's album "Here Come the 123s"), the tripod fish ("tripod") is briefly featured in the following lines: [http://tmbw.net/wiki/Lyrics:Triops_Has_Three_Eyes]

Chickens have two legs
And firemen have two legs
And monkeys have two legs
But tripods have three legs
Tripods have three legs

They've got more than you
'Cuz they need more than two
A tripod has got
One that points back
And one that sticks out
And one to be a friend
To the other pair of pegs
Tripods have three legs

In the accompanying children's video, a crude drawing of the tripod fish is shown standing and moving around on its fin extensions.

References

*

External links

* [http://www.mbari.org/expeditions/hawaii/Leg2/apr11images/apr11_10_52_35_04.jpgTripod fish photo, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute]
* [http://fish-view.imr.no/files/species.php?id=Cholorophthalmidae Images of Tripod fish after being brought to the surface]