Evolution, development, and random biological ejaculations from a godless liberal
PZ Myers is a biologist and associate professor at the University of Minnesota, Morris.
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Category: Organisms
Posted on: July 20, 2006 7:58 PM, by PZ Myers
This fish has an absolutely perfect name: the Rosy Lipped Batfish.
It isn't much better in Latin, either. Ogcocephalus porrectus. No wonder it's scowling.
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Comments
It's for real, wow! I found enough other photos to convince myself you didn't get snookered by a Photoshopper.
I think this piglet squid is cuter though.
Posted by: melior (in Austin) | July 20, 2006 8:11 PM
Oh. My. God. It looks exactly like Connie Morris.
Posted by: subterranean kryptonite | July 20, 2006 8:52 PM
If this isn't the proof of evolution that the creationists demand what is?
Posted by: DAE | July 20, 2006 9:13 PM
My kids riffed for about two days on the name of a Chelone leonii cultivar, 'Hot Lips Turtlehead'.
But even that pales in comparison to the Borg melon I brought home the other day: http://qw88nb88.wordpress.com/2006/07/12/recess/
Posted by: andrea | July 20, 2006 9:15 PM
Skip to the next picture along and you'll see what PZ was really looking for http://rstours.com/html/gal_bluering.html
Posted by: dcb | July 20, 2006 9:21 PM
Actually, it doesn't look like Connie Morris (see picture here). This is going to sound like politically-correct finger-wagging, but really, I hope that thoughtful people will remind themselves not to fall into the too-common trope of insulting women whose ideas (or, in this case, lack of thinking) they don't agree with by insulting their attractiveness and/or femininity. Read DaveScot's remarks about Denyse O'Leary (in the comments) and then stay a million miles away from that sort of rhetoric. At any rate, insult people for ugliness they really possess -- accurate caricatures are funnier.
Posted by: Vasha | July 20, 2006 9:23 PM
Vasha is right, it's wholly inappropriate and sexist to impugn Connie Morris for her appearance. Actually I think it more resembles Bill Demski in snit after being told his arguments hold no water.
Posted by: Keanus | July 20, 2006 9:28 PM
Is it wrong to want to kiss that?
Posted by: Unstable Isotope | July 20, 2006 9:54 PM
Well I was a bit upset that you "responded" to me only after I stated I was leaving but this photo makes up for it.
I'm sure there's a genetic co-evolutionary algorithm of random resemblance going on.
Posted by: drew hempel | July 20, 2006 9:58 PM
It might be my 2nd grade teacher too, but I can't tell for sure from the photo - is the lipstick painted well above the lip line? If so that's a clincher.
Posted by: craig | July 20, 2006 10:24 PM
Is it wrong to want to kiss that?
heck no!
Embrace your inner fish!
funny enough, Howard Hall's video of the Cocos Island marine fauna was on PBS just last night.
this fish also commonly locomotes by using it's heavily modified pectoral and pelvic fins to "walk" on substrates, very much like a frogfish.
I do wish Howard would invite a few more real marine biologists along on his trips.
*sigh*
Posted by: Ichthyic | July 20, 2006 11:35 PM
Do all Ogcocephalus porrectus have that expression?
Posted by: Molly, NYC | July 21, 2006 12:23 AM
mother!!! you've come back!
Posted by: scout | July 21, 2006 3:07 AM
So Gary Larson is the Intelligent Designer?
Posted by: windy | July 21, 2006 3:13 AM
Lips on a fish?
Posted by: owlbear1 | July 21, 2006 4:00 AM
Looks like Mrs. Potato Head to me. Either way, I'll call it "The Mothership"!
Posted by: Shan | July 21, 2006 8:41 AM
Looks like Katherine Harris...
Posted by: rlrr | July 21, 2006 8:44 AM
Yes, it looks exactly like Katherine Harris. Now, can someone enlighten me as to what selection pressures would have shaped fish lips into having the appearance of a second grade Floridian politicial wannabe ??
Posted by: kamensind | July 21, 2006 8:54 AM
a fish without lips is like a woman without a bicycle.
or a man without orange juice...I forget.
Posted by: CCP | July 21, 2006 9:51 AM
I always wondered what happened to Charo...
Posted by: Stuart | July 21, 2006 10:39 AM
Rosy will no doubt be a major character in the next Pixar/Disney animated feature. She's a natural.
Posted by: CanuckRob | July 21, 2006 11:42 AM
Most of the body is camouflaged, but the mouth is very bright and visible. It may be a baiting tactic to draw in prey.
Therefore, it probably is wrong, or at least dangerous, to want to kiss it.
Posted by: quork | July 21, 2006 12:23 PM
They've got a dangling lure, too, like an anglerfish, so they're ambush predators.
It's also from deep water, where it's very, very dark, and red is not going to be easily detectable -- it's going to look black to denizens of the deep.
Posted by: PZ Myers![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/nav-commenters.gif)
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July 21, 2006 12:31 PM
the 'charo' comment has my vote :P
Posted by: scout | July 21, 2006 12:35 PM
Its got a purrty mouth. (Sorry, had to do that "Deliverance" thing).
Posted by: King Spirula | July 21, 2006 1:36 PM
Hey, I did a painting based on this very photo!
http://www.snant.com/jeremy/things/batfish.jpg
Posted by: J. Puma | July 21, 2006 2:09 PM
I think water bears are cuter than piglet squids.
Check out his video
http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/indexmag.html?http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/artnov01/mmbearvideo2.html
Posted by: Carpenter | July 21, 2006 4:04 PM
River can find these fish at the deep end of recreational dive mimits (*just* at) in the Cocos Islands, a 36 hour boat ride from mainland Costa Rica. On my trip, we did the deep dive to see the bat fish--it takes a dive light to see the full effect of the lips. The crew of the Undersea Hunter has taken out many film crews, and told us about one British host of a popular nature show who went down to film the animal with a full face mask with a transmitter. The fish kept scampering away from him--wouldn't stay put for the videographer. Forgetting that his mike was live, this guy started pulled a GWB -- swore at the fish and cursed effing everyone who made him do the effing dive to see the effing fish, etc.
Where these fish are found, there isn't much else to see, bottom time is limited and you come up pretty nitrogen saturated--but it's still pretty cool. Just be sure to bring a camera---I didn't have mine with me, so I'm enjoying seeing this image that allowed me to relive some fun moments.
Thanks!
Diane
Posted by: Diane Richards | July 21, 2006 4:31 PM
Are these the same batfish found offshore of the Galapagos Islands, the ones that are used as living chewtoys by the local sea lions?
Posted by: Stanton | July 21, 2006 6:30 PM
Bah. You mean Tarted-Up WHOREfish. More Proof that Evil-ution destroys Morality!!!1!
Posted by: Mike Crichton | July 21, 2006 6:30 PM
Bah. You mean Tarted-Up WHOREfish. More Proof that Evil-ution destroys Morality!!!1!
I don't think he's a whorefish, as this is a male of the species.
Females have bigger noses.
Posted by: Stanton | July 21, 2006 6:31 PM
Not quite the same: the Galapagos batfish is Ogcocephalus darwini.
Posted by: PZ Myers![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/nav-commenters.gif)
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July 21, 2006 6:38 PM
Lips on a fish?
well, not lips in the mammalian sense, but yes.
There's even a subfamility of grunts (Haemulidae) with the common name of "sweetlips" for obvious reasons, once you see the pics:
http://www.amonline.net.au/FISHES/fishfacts/fish/pchaetodon.htm
http://species.fishindex.com/species_1624plectorhinchus_chaetodonoides_clown_sweetlips.html
Posted by: Ichthyic | July 21, 2006 7:14 PM
I don't think he's a whorefish, as this is a male of the species.
Females have bigger noses.
A _gay_ WhoreFish?!?! Evil-ution just gets eviler and eviler!
Posted by: MIke Crichton | July 21, 2006 7:30 PM
what's that hawaiian fish that has teeth that look like human teeth?
Posted by: scout | July 21, 2006 9:53 PM
hmm, not sure; sounds like a labrid (wrasse) maybe?
here's a list of common families of marine fishes around hawaii:
http://www.coralreefnetwork.com/marlife/fishes/fishes.htm
maybe it will help you narrow down which fish you were thinking of?
Posted by: Ichthyic | July 21, 2006 10:14 PM
Fantasy:: fish ???
Posted by: Carlie | July 22, 2006 8:09 AM