‘Super rare’ creature with ‘leopard’ spots seen in Australia coral reef, video shows
While swimming Coral Sea Marine Park off the coast of Australia, a seasoned diver spotted a “super rare” sea creature.
A small white fish sporting leopard-like spots darted into view, piquing the diver’s interest.
“After over 1,100 dives, she had never seen a fish like this,” according to an Oct. 23 Facebook post from Master Reef Guides, an organization affiliated with the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority.
After pointing out the peculiar creature to an accompanying diver equipped with a camera, video footage was taken of the fish, which was captured drifting between vibrantly colored stalks of coral.
Upon surfacing and boarding their boat, the duo began conducting research and consulting with experts to determine just what kind of creature they had seen.
They eventually determined it was a Leopard Toby, a type of narrow-nosed pufferfish, according to iNaturalist, a citizen scientist platform. They’re about 3 inches long and are often found near caves and drop-offs.
They are predominantly found between 100 and 330 feet deep, Michelle Barry, the Master Reef Guide who captured the Leopard Toby on camera, told McClatchy News in an email.
“Considering the recreational limit for diving is (130 feet) ... the likelihood of encountering this little fish during a scuba dive is very rare,” Barry said.
They’re known to dwell in more northern waters, including near Indonesia and the Philippines, but are seldom, if ever, seen near Australia.
“As for the wild, remote expanse of the Coral Sea Marine Park that runs adjacent to Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, finding anything is like searching for a needle in a haystack and this would be the first recorded sighting,” Barry said.
The discovery of the fish led divers to believe an undetected population dwells in the Coral Sea, Barry said, adding that its finding comes several years after bans were put in place on collecting species from the region.
“We believe the protections put in place have allowed for the biodiversity in the region to flourish, allowing more opportunity to encounter this relatively unknown and obscure small fish,” Barry said.
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