'Clever' jellyfish detail revealed after rare discovery in Sydney Harbour
The little fish were found in Sydney Harbour over the weekend, slightly further south than their normal habitat.
Australia has one of the most diverse ecosystems on the planet.
Our country is home to hundreds of thousands of different animals that can only be found here, and, you don't have to travel far to stumble across one. Otherworldly and alien-like creatures are in abundance across the nation, with our unique wildlife often creating confusion among travellers and locals with so many different species on offer.
Such was the case in NSW at the weekend, with one Pyrmont resident taking to social media to question what exactly he was looking down at in Sydney Harbour.
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"Wow — does anyone know what this fish is called? Found them around Pyrmont Bay this morning," the man wrote on Facebook, beside images and videos of a school of black and white fish with elongated filaments.
The creatures can be seen darting through the sea, with their ribbon-like filaments looking similar to tentacles as the school swim together in unison. The fish can be seen twisting and turning through the water, a technique that could be used to avoid prey, experts say.
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Many responded in the comments with what species they believed the creatures to be, but speaking to Yahoo News Australia, Denice Askebrink, Curatorial Manager at SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium explained what was in the water.
"It looks like like a pennant fish Alectis ciliaris, aka pompano or threadfin trevally," Askebrink told Yahoo News. "I believe they are usually more prominently found in waters off Queensland and the Northern Territory than in NSW."
Interestingly, "many juvenile species have clever ways they deter predators," Askebrink explained.
"[They use] either mimicry, camouflage or submissive signals," she said. "In this photo example, it could be hypothesised that they have attempted to imitate a jellyfish, to help them see another day."
Elongate filaments 'not present in adults'
According to the Australian Museum, juvenile pennant fish have "very elongate trailing filaments" from the dorsal and anal fins, which are not present in adults. "The long trailing pennants are only in juveniles and are thought to mimic jellyfish and siphonophores," a spokesperson told Yahoo.
They are known to be found in southwestern Western Australia, around the tropical north of the country to the southern coast of NSW.
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