Off the beaten path in Cozumel

[Dave Dillehay]

I checked and the batfish in this video was found with two others about 10 miles north of Puerto Abrigo. And yes, even close to town the dive sites have things seldom seen down south. The further north, the weirder!

Dave Dillehay

 

[mikeycanuk]

The further north, the weirder!

Dave Dillehay

That could be said of a lot of places....

 

[Dave Dillehay]

Not intended that way Mikey. Hell even I spend much of my time in Texas…hmmmm, maybe you have a point!

Dave Dillehay

 

[Dave Dillehay]

Dear DjDiverDan,

A marine biologist who happens to be one of our guides/instructors tells me that the evolution of the batfish was probably in reverse—from a land based frog like creature to one with gills. At least that is what the science community thinks.

Dave Dillehay

Aldora Divers

 

[DandyDon]

Dear DjDiverDan,

A marine biologist who happens to be one of our guides/instructors tells me that the evolution of the batfish was probably in reverse—from a land based frog like creature to one with gills. At least that is what the science community thinks.

Dave Dillehay

Aldora Divers

A fish that went to land then back to the sea still a fish? :silly: Check his credentials.

 

[Dave Dillehay]

Dear Dandy Don,

That process is thought to have happened in many cases. Think whales. Check the books.

Dave Dillehay
Aldora Divers

 

[kss1dvr]

Whales don't have gills.

May not be a good analogy.

It's sure a weird looking creature, though.

 

[DjDiverDan]

While there have been mammals that returned to the sea, none of them evolved so as to lose their lungs and re-evolve gills. Since lungs are essential for land vertebrates (or at least vertebrates of any size - very small animals, like worms, nematodes, etc, can still obsorb enough oxygen through their skin to support metabolism; larger land animals require lungs and a circulatory system), unless batfish have lungs, I'm skeptical of a claim that it evolved from a land animal.

 

[DandyDon]

Dear Dandy Don,

That process is thought to have happened in many cases. Think whales. Check the books.

Dave Dillehay
Aldora Divers

Whales are not fish. Manatees also had terrestrial ancestors related to elephants, but they are not fish. There are many fishes that can leave the water for a while, i.e. walking catfish, mudskippers, and more - and even lungfish. There are many fishes commonly called batfish but yours is of the Ogcocephalidae family, I believe. There is no record of a fish with gills that had ancestors on land.

 

[cvchief]

Maybe it started to crawl out, stopped for chips and guak in the shallows and then said screw it, back in the water?

We found one that was smaller and darker just out from Buccanos as we worked our way up from an Eagle Ray Dive a couple years ago. Cool lil guys.