A strange fish with jellyfish tentacles filmed in Hawaii

A few weeks ago, my colleague showed me a video filmed in the port of Honokohau, located in the town of Kona on the island of Hawaii, in thearchipelagoarchipelago eponym. We see a strange little fish swimming in the calm waters of the port, trailing long filaments behind it. So what is it? A news speciesspecies ? I’m opening an investigation.

Parasite? Genetic abnormality?

Neither. This is a juvenile Alectis ciliarisknown as “wire cobbler” or “feather trevally”. According to Richard Pyle, ichthyology researcher at Bishop Museum d’Honolulu, « it is widespread, but not very common “. In other words, it can be found throughout the tropical expanse of the oceans, if you look hard enough – or if you’re lucky, like this Hawaiian fisherman! “ Juveniles generally live in the open sea, but are sometimes found in ports and estuariesestuarieslike the one in the video “, he explains.

As for the strange filaments, “ they are part of the fins of the poissonpoisson and only appear in juveniles “. These are the first soft rays of the elongated dorsal and anal fins. “ They are thought to mimic the tentacles of jellyfishjellyfishprobably so that juveniles are less likely to be eaten », Specifies the specialist. The adults, for their part, have no need for mimicry: they measure on average one meter and 18 kilos and swim deeper to chase the young crustaceanscrustaceans et cephalopodscephalopods that they encounter. Underwater mystery solved!