Researchers capture footage of fish “moonwalking” on South China Sea floor
Scientists used underwater vehicles to record a trio of armored sea robins using their specialized, stiffened fin rays to summon the spirit of Michael Jackson and glide backwards along the seafloor
Researchers have captured footage of a unique fish species, known as armored sea robins, "moonwalking" on the floor of the South China Sea. This is the first recorded instance of this behavior, reminiscent of Michael Jackson's famous backwards "moonwalk." The armored sea robins, also called armored gurnards, are a subfamily of ray-finned fishes found in deep tropical and warm temperate waters worldwide.
Their specialized, stiffened fin rays function as independent, leg-like appendages, allowing them to move across the seafloor in various directions, including backward, a movement never observed in other fish. The scientists, from Sun Yat-sen University in China, observed the fish using both human-operated and remotely operated underwater vehicles at depths ranging from 1,151ft to 1,551ft (351-473m).
The researchers noted that the fish moved sideways, crab-like, but also backward, an unconventional movement that aids them in probing sediment for prey.
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