Aptocycle: A Misunderstanding Fish (6 photos)

Aptocicles are probably the strangest, most unattractive, and at the same time, most maladapted fish I've ever heard of. No matter how you look at them, they're model losers!





Oh no, the aliens are already here!

See for yourself: to say the Aptocicle is slow is an understatement. This creature is so sluggish and amorphous that it's not even close to being graceful or streamlined. Its dorsal and anal fins have atrophied and migrated directly to its short, weak tail, while its pelvic fins have partially transformed into a suction cup, allowing it to stay in place.



That's not a suction cup, it's a SUCKER!

And I wouldn't say a word if aptocicles lived in rivers or areas with active sea currents—the suction cup would be very appropriate there. But these fish live in calm ocean regions at depths of 300 to 500 meters—they have no problem with sea currents! At the same time, these fish spend most of the day searching for food—mollusks, small crustaceans, and polychaete worms. This takes a lot of time, as their senses are only moderately developed, making them far inferior to other bottom-hunting specialists!





Would you like some fish and vegetables?

Okay, maybe the suction cup is appropriate because they rely on passive defense? Well, you've already seen their camouflage abilities in the photo—they're practically nonexistent. They also can't rely on their strong scales and spines. And the icing on the cake – aptocicles are even non-venomous!



Help.

They're not even lucky with humans! In Asian countries, aptocicle caviar is in demand, and in Japan, they're even widely eaten. But that's not all – we've put them to work on our fish farms!



Uh... Is dinner served?

In South Korea, aptocicles are introduced into salmon cages to feed on salmon lice, a constant headache for fish farms. But they only stay there for the first two months of their lives, as only young aptocicles can feed on salmon lice; adults are too slow and lazy. So, the overgrown fish are caught and... processed into crab feed. Surely they shouldn't be released into the wild?



Oops, microjelly.

With such data, it's absolutely unclear how aptocicles have survived to this day. And all thanks to their reproductive abilities. Frogfish mature early, reproduce at a very high rate, and lay their eggs in shallow water—relatively safe areas. Furthermore, after fertilization, the male remains to guard the eggs from small predators until the fry hatch. He may be weak and vulnerable, but he still weighs up to 4 kilograms, and his sheer size can disperse small fish.