New Species of Rare Fish Discovered in Japan Has Everyone Captivated
If you're an animal lover, there's a very good chance that you use travel as an excuse to see creatures up close and personal who aren't native to where you call home. And in some cases, this means having the opportunity to see animals who you might not have known even existed before your trip. We might have explored a lot of the world, but there's still so much we don't know about this planet and its inhabitants... and that seems like it goes double for the ocean!
It's wild to think that in 2024, we're still discovering new animals, but it's happening. In fact, a brand new species of fish was recently discovered in Japan, and while they are rare, they are also really cool.
This video from ABC News shows a new fish called the Skeleton Panda Sea Squirt, which looks similar to a panda and is so unusual it doesn't even look real!
According to the caption on the video, it's become popular with divers near the Japanese island of Kumejima, and it's easy to see why — seeing this fish in person has to be incredible.
Commenters marveled over the fish, with one person joking, "is that a new Pokémon?" It looks like it should be!
More about the Skeleton Panda Sea Squirt
Not much is known about these fish, but we do know that they are invertebrates who are also known as ascidians. They eat plankton and loose rocks, and one part of their body is always attached to a rock.
They're only found in the Pacific Ocean (so far, at least) and they exist in clusters. The only problem? They're very small, so they can be hard to spot!
There are some Reddit threads online that debate whether or not these are actually real, but according to Reuters, it was only recently that marine researchers were able to confirm that they exist.
If you ever go scuba diving in the country of Japan, it can't hurt to keep an eye out for these guys. It would be amazing to be able to spot one!
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