The bizarre alien human like freak fish discovered a couple of days is, in fact, the widespread shortnose batfish (Ogcocephalus nasutus), and not a dreadful human-fish hybrid from a genetic experiment gone wrong, nor is it an alien creature or a demon that lurks in the Caribbean sea, as the islanders of Carriacou had feared.
Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully need not get on that plane destined for the beautiful island, one of the Grenadine Islands in the southeastern Caribbean Sea, northeast of Grenada – that is where the ‘mysterious’ creature was discovered.
Fishermen and locals, who were astonished and a bit frightened when they saw the ‘mini-monster’, were initially unable to identify what species it might belong to, or where it came from.
Not an alien mutant freak fish, but just your run-of the-mill, common-everyday shortnose batfish. (Image: tripadvisor.com)
Local fisherman Hope McLawrence told the Grenada Informer that he was stunned and froze from head-to-toe when he pulled the marine creature in his net, just outside windward jetty.
What sent a shiver down his spine were the eerily human-like features it had, he said.
Feet and nose like a person
The marine creature has two feet and ten toes (five on each foot), no distinguishable fins but perhaps wings, a long bone down its back, and a perfectly-formed human-like nose just above its mouth.
Mr. McLawrence, who has been casting his net off Carriacou for more than fifty years, said he had never seen anything like it. He doubts it can swim and probably walks along the seabed looking for food (it does swim, see video below).
Mr. McLawrence said:
“It looks like a dangerous fish which can be poisonous. The wings and tail look extremely complicated.”
“This has shocked me to a considerable extent since I never thought that a creature like this even existed, much less in the harbour of these shallow, friendly waters. This is like a mystery and breathes a chill with this discovery.”
This was the creature Mr. McLawrence found in his net after he’d been out fishing. It is upside-down, so you cannot see its nose. (Image: Grenada Informer)
The Shortnose batfish
The Shortnose Batfish (spelled ‘Shortnose’ and ‘Shortnosed’ in several reputable websites), is also known as the Redbellied Batfish, Slantbrow Batfish, Walking Batfish and Anglerfish.
It uses its legs to move around on muddy and sandy bottoms, often near to reefs. It is usually spotted resting on the sand, partially covered in mud or sand.
According to whatsthatfish.com, it feeds on other fish, worms and crustaceans, an adult is about 30 cm (11.8 inches) long and can live in depths of up to 300 metres (984 feet). It is widespread off the coast of South Eastern Florida, the Caribbean Sea and Western Atlantic.
They are very similar to Frogfishes. Experts say it secretes a fluid that attracts prey – a chemical lure.
Carriacou rife with rumours
As soon as Mr. McLawrence placed the specimen on land, a crowd of people surrounded it and just stared in disbelief. Some people told the Grenada Informer that they felt pretty scared because it reminded them of something they had seen in a sci-fi or horror film.
As often occurs when you get a group of humans and a mystery, rumours started to fly – first just within the island and then across the world via the internet.
The beautiful island of Carriacou is known as the ‘Isle of Reefs’ and features some of the most stunning coral reefs of the region. (Image: adapted from Trip Advisor photo)
Suggestions of what the strange-looking creature might be ranged from the fairly scientific to completely barmy. One person suggested that a group of very wealthy individuals had paid a scientist to find ways of making humans adapt to living in the sea. Given that sea levels will rise because of global warming, perhaps they were trying to get themselves (or their kids and grandchildren) ready.
Others wondered whether the book of Revelation in the Bible was about to make true on its prediction that the Apocalypse would come (complete destruction of the world).
Perhaps it was a genetic experiment that went horribly wrong, or aliens from outer space were invading Earth and started off in the sea so that humans would not know about it until it was too late, some people wondered.
Now that we all know it is a well-known fish species, we can all go back to our mundane routines and wait for the next exciting event, whatever that might be.
Go to our Alien News – UFO News webpage, where you can find scores of articles on unusual things that happen on Earth and outer space.
Video – Shortnose Batfish
This video footage shows that the Shortnose Batfish can swim – it does not just ‘walk’ around on the sea bed.