The Odd Fish: A new illustrated children’s picture book with a powerful message about plastic pollution in the ocean and looking after our environment

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Weird fish include the ocean sunfish, a mysterious ocean giant; the coelacanth, a living fossil once thought to have been extinct; the humphead wrasse, a reef fish that starts life as a female but later becomes male; the bizarre-looking red-lipped batfish, found around the Galápagos Islands; and freshwater species such as the candiru and alligator gar. In some cases, this is caused by a faulty gene a person has inherited from their parents. How trimethylaminuria is inherited Well, when we said stand out, we weren’t entirely being truthful . This sneaky individual’s speciality is actually disguising itself, using its bizarre leaf-like protrusions to look more like a piece of seaweed than any fish we’ve seen.

The West Indian Coelacanth is a rare fish thought to be extinct until its rediscovery in 1938 off the coast of South Africa. Unfortunately, the Humphead Wrasse is listed as Endangered by the IUCN due to overfishing for the live reef fish trade and habitat destruction. The reef stonefish is a highly venomous fish found in the shallow waters of the Indo-Pacific region. It is the most venomous fish in the world, with potent neurotoxins secreted from its dorsal spines. The species belongs to the scorpionfish family, Synanceiidae. The female Asian sheepshead has the amazing ability to switch genders as it desires. The fish has a bulbous chin. Its species is commonly found around the Asian waters; specifically around Korea, Japan, and South China. 7. Jawfish The Alligator Gar is a top predator in its ecosystem and is known to eat fish, turtles, and even small mammals. Despite its fearsome reputation, it is not a threat to humans, and is actually a popular game fish for recreational fishing. The Alligator Gar has a long lifespan, and may live for several decades in the wild. Discover More With Active Wild

7. Goblin Shark

Unfortunately, Lionfish are causing significant ecological damage in their non-native habitats, as they have no natural predators and can reproduce rapidly. Discover More With Active Wild The Frilled Shark is a weird deep-sea shark found in both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, typically at depths of up to 1500 meters. It has a distinctive appearance, with a long, eel-like body and a “frilly”, or ruffled, appearance around its gill slits. While both of these species are rare around the shores of the British Isles they both have shore caught records. The largest electric ray ever caught was a 52lb 10z specimen caught by Mr M. Wills off the Cornish coast in 1980, while a 13lb 15oz marbled electric ray was caught by Mr M. Porter fishing off the Jersey coast ten years later in 1990. Atlantic Bonito Either way, here are ten of the most unusual fish that have been found swimming in our oceans. 1. Leafy sea dragon

Sunfish ( Mola Mola) is a strange and unusual-looking fish. It is disc-shaped and can crow to lengths of 4.5 metres (15ft) and weigh thousands of pounds, making sunfish the heaviest bony fish in the world. Sunfish were previously very rare in UK waters, being found in tropical and sub-tropical species, but possibly as a result of warming seas, they appear to be becoming more common around the British Isles. The Longhorn Cowfish gets its name from the distinctive long, pointed horns on its head, which it uses for defense and to probe for food. The projections may also make the fish more difficult to swallow by predators. When stressed, this weird fish is thought to be able to secrete poison from its skin.

When Little Fish and her family encounter an odd new fish bobbing along on its own, they embark on an exciting journey to reunite it with its family. Your specialist can refer you to a dietitian for advice. They'll help you make sure your diet still contains all the nutrients you need. Other things you can do The Common Fangtooth is a deep-sea fish that is found in the world’s oceans, typically at depths of over 500 meters. It is a small fish, growing up to 18 cm in length, but it is known for its intimidating appearance. The Megamouth Shark is a rare and enigmatic deep-sea shark that was first discovered in 1976. It is a member of the family Megachasmidae, and is one of only three extant species in this family, along with the Whale Shark and Basking Shark. Ghost sharks have large eyes for seeing in low light conditions, and, like other sharks, their snouts are covered with sensory organs called ampullae of Lorenzini, which help them detect the electrical fields produced by their prey. Discover More with Active Wild

Pufferfish are poisonous as the powerful neurotoxin tetrodotocin (which has no known antidote) is found in the internal organs and skin. The sale of pufferfish for human consumption is banned in the EU and United States. However, in Japan pufferfish, where it is known as fugu, is considered to be a delicacy with chefs – who must have had at least two year’s training and have passed written and practical exams – able to fillet the fish to avoid the poisonous organs and serve the edible flesh. Sunfish Sarcastic Fringehead Sarcastic fringehead living in a plastic tube. Photo: Magnus Kjaergaard, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons Pilot fish are not completely unheard of around the British Isles. There are unconfirmed reports that these fish have occasionally washed up dead on beaches in England, Wales and the Republic of Ireland. However, they are very much seen as a vagrant species which, for unknown reasons, have travelled from their warm water habitat and ended up disorientated on lost around the coast of Britain. It is also possible that pilot fish can survive around the UK when the sea temperature is high but will die when the temperature drops. The UK shore caught record for this species was set in 1997 at the Towy Estuary, Carmarthenshire, Wales when Mr J. Richards caught a pilot fish of just over 10oz. Pufferfish Due to its elusive nature and deep-sea habitat, the giant squid remains one of the most mysterious creatures in the ocean. Discover More with Active Wild One of the world’s weirdest-looking fish, the Red-Lipped Batfish is named for its distinctive bright red lips, which contrast with its mottled brown body. It has a flattened body, a wide head, and a pair of modified pectoral fins that it uses to “walk” along the seafloor.Genetic counselling may help you understand the risks of passing trimethylaminuria on to any children you have. Treatments for trimethylaminuria The Frilled Shark can grow up to 2 meters in length and is a slow-moving, sluggish predator that feeds on a variety of fish and squid. It is rarely seen by humans and is not commercially fished, but it is sometimes caught accidentally as bycatch. This ability makes the moonfish an effective predator in the cold depths of the ocean, where it primarily feeds on squid and small fish. Found in the western Pacific Ocean and Indian Ocean, the Wobbegong is a species of the “carpet shark” family, and it’s easy to see why. Resembling a large rug compared to the sharks we often think of, the wobbegong spreads itself out on the ocean floor, camouflaged by its flat, tasselled body. You’ve probably never laid eyes on a wels catfish before, let alone caught one. Well… German angler Martin Glatz landed this stunner while fishing at a lake in the Netherlands with his twin brother. He calls his catch a “mandarin catfish,” which is how some European anglers refer to leucitic wels catfish. It’s as yellow as a school bus. 8) A Lancetfish from “The Twilight Zone”

The giant squid’s eyes are the largest in the animal kingdom, measuring up to 10 inches in diameter; an adaptation for detecting prey in the dark depths of the ocean. The species primarily feeds on deep-sea fish and other cephalopods. The giant tube worm has a bright red plume, rich in hemoglobin, which it extends from its protective chitinous tube to absorb oxygen and chemicals from the surrounding water. Discover More with Active Wild The Humphead Wrasse, also known as the Napoleon Wrasse, is a large, colorful fish that can be found in the tropical waters of the Indo-Pacific region.The species has a unique method of locomotion, using a webbed, fin-like structure to propel itself through the water. It feeds on detritus and organic matter on the ocean floor. Discover More with Active Wild Like other frogfish, the clown frogfish is an ambush predator, using a modified dorsal spine as a lure to attract unsuspecting prey. Its ability to change color and texture allows it to camouflage itself among coral reefs, sponges, and other marine environments. The species is found in the waters of Ambon Island, and other Indonesian islands. It belongs to the frogfish family Antennariidae, all of which are predatory anglerfish