An angler is surprised to find a strange fish that has a different form from the others. That's because the skin is similar to a tortilla or kebab bread skin.
"What is this fish? There are 200 species of fish in Tampa Bay and this is one of the strangest fish I've ever caught," said angler Tom Borsworth.
The story is, Tom was fishing in the Tampa Bay area, Florida, America with two friends when he caught him in March. He was initially disappointed to get it because he thought it was too small.
However, when he looked at it more closely, Tom was surprised because his skin turned out to be of a unique shape, where it was white with orange spots in some corners. Then his mouth is small. They took some pictures and then released the strange fish which then swam away.
Some time later, last August, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FFWCC) identified what type of fish it was. Tom did send a photo of the fish to this institution out of curiosity.
On its Facebook page, FFWCC explains that this kebab-like fish is an orange filefish with the scientific name Aluterus schoepfii. Every year, apparently there are several people who send photos of the fish because they feel the shape is strange.
Although the name is orange, in fact the fish actually have several variants of skin colors and patterns, from gray to white. Their habitat is usually at the bottom of the seaweed where they feed on the vegetation.
This strange fish which turns out to be not too strange has quite a population. When feeling threatened, Aluterus schoepfii has self-protection such as being able to raise thorns on its back in order to avoid the mouth of its predator.
For predators in the ocean, this filefish may taste good, but not for humans. The reason is the skin is hard and rough and besides, there is not much meat.
