New Zealanders got a strange surprise after a black fish that many are calling "alien-like" surfaced in the Bay of Islands, according to the Daily Mail. Claudia and Glenys Howse caught the fish, who didn't survive, and pictures of it were posted on Facebook by the Te Papa Museum Friday.
"This weird creature is likely to be a species of Frogfish, but we won't know until we have a chance to examine it closely!" read a post on the museum's Facebook page.
The frogfish is known to have the fastest bite of any vertebrate species, with a mouth expansion speed that almost matches that of a .22 rifle bullet, only in a medium that is approximately 800 times denser than air, according to the New Zealand Herald. They hunt for prey using ambush tactics and can fit almost anything into their amazing mouths, including crabs and shrimp.
Although frogfish typically inhabit almost every tropical and subtropical ocean and sea worldwide, such as the northern tip of New Zealand, fossil records of their existence are sparse, according to RT.
The finding is the next in a long line of strange fish that have made their way into Australian seas, including a goblin shark in New South Wales and another strange fish in South Australia.
"It was very unusual. I have been fishing here for 30 years, and I have come across a few deformed fish, but never anything quite like this," said Garry Warrick, a professional fisherman.
