As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Call: Northern sea robin (Prionotus carolinus
Where it lives: The shallow waters of the western Atlantic, from Nova Scotia to Florida
What it consumes: Shrimp, crabs, squid, worms and little fish
Why it’s remarkable: Northern sea robins are strange fish with huge, spiny heads; bright-blue eyes; 2 huge wing fins; and 6 crab-like legs.
It’s these little legs that make sea robins so uncommon. Other sea animals follow these fish around since they are so proficient at finding and digging up buried food– however up until just recently, researchers didn’t comprehend what made northern robin fish such competent foragers.
In 2 research studies released in 2024, scientists exposed that northern sea robins’ legs imitate tongues, enabling the fish to taste their environments for indications of food.
“This is a fish that grew legs using the same genes that contribute to the development of our limbs and then repurposed these legs to find prey using the same genes our tongues use to taste food — pretty wild,” research study author Nicholas Bellonoa teacher of molecular and cellular biology at Harvard University, stated in a declaration
Get the world’s most interesting discoveries provided directly to your inbox.
The researchers discovered that northern sea robins can discover and discover ground-up mussels utilizing papillae that cover their legs. Papillae are little sensory structures, which in people are discovered on the upper surface area of the tongue. The scientists found that northern sea robin papillae have taste receptors and touch-sensitive nerve cells, allowing the fish to utilize their legs to taste the ground to discover food.
In among the research studiesthe scientists grew northern sea robins from embryos in a laboratory to view their legs establish. They discovered that the legs grew from the pectoral fins, separating from the remainder of the fin rays throughout advancement. The legs are managed by unique strolling muscles at the base of the legs and are formed like shovels to assist the fish dig.
All sea robin types have legs, not all are adjusted for digging and tastingthe group discovered. “We were surprised to see how much sea robins differ from each other in sensory structures found on the legs,” research study co-author David Kingsleya developmental biologist at Stanford University, stated in the declaration. “The system thus displays multiple levels of evolutionary innovation from differences between sea robins and most other fish, differences between sea robin species, and differences in everything from structure and sensory organs to behavior.”
Northern sea robins’ tongue legs do not constantly lead to a meal. After the northern sea robins collect their supper, the fish following them typically swoop in and take their food, in an act called kleptoparasitism.
Find out more
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
