Animal of the Week: Red-Lipped Batfish
Hello and welcome, to yet another addition in our Did You Know? animal series! Today we have another unusual animal, the Red-lipped Batfish. Pretty freaky huh? Even so, you will be informed of its existence. (Yayyy). Now without further ado, let’s introduce this diva of the deep!
This odd fish is brown and gray up top, but plain white on its underside. It can live around 12 years, and can grow up to 8 inches. As you’ve probably guessed, this fellow has bright red lips which are thought to attract a mate. Their bodies start pretty wide but get narrow towards the back. It’s called a Batfish for the adapted fins it walks on. It is said that when they walk it looks like a bat walking on its wings, and its wing-shaped fins. It grows a special appendage on its back that is used to attract prey, which makes it similar to the Angler fish.
The Red-lipped Batfish uses this seductive lure to attract prey. Their diet consists of shrimp, small fish, and crustaceans (crabs, lobsters, etc.). They dwell on the bottom of the ocean and are known to be ravenous feeders.
Unfortunately, unless you happen to travel to the Galapagos islands, you won't see these fabulous flounders, for they are hidden in the depths of the sea. They can be found nowhere else in the world. They can live 10-249 feet below sea level.
The Red-Lipped Batfish is a very mysterious creature, and we still aren’t sure why its lips are so bright red, but we hope you’ve enjoyed this article. See you all next week! This is Reanna and Zoe, always here to write about the wonderful creatures in this world.
Zoe Weirauch ‘23 :D
Reanna Lee ‘23 ;)
