Fish,
which is endemic to Tasmania, was the first Australian marine animal to be
listed as critically endangered
Monday 18
September 2017 03.19 BSTLast modified on Monday 18 September
2017 03.21 BST
Scientists
have begun a captive breeding program for the spotted handfish, 11 years after
it became the first Australian marine animal to be listed as critically
endangered.
Endemic
to Tasmania, the spotted handfish or Brachionichthys hirsutus looks like a
tadpole in the late stages of development, with a fin atop its head to lure
unsuspecting prey and the sour expression of a British bulldog.
Its
hand-like front fins are used to walk along the sandy bed of the lower reaches
of the River Derwent, hunting for small shrimp, waylaid fish larvae and other
food that drifts to the bottom.
As the
name suggests it is covered in elegant spots.
The CSIRO
has been conducting an annual survey of handfish numbers for two years and this
month collected its first specimens – an adult male named Harley, an adult
female named Rose and an as yet unnamed juvenile – to begin a captive breeding
program.
Harley
and Rose hit it off immediately, beginning and consummating a courtship almost immediately.
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