Puffer Fish Responsible for Unique Marine Art

A television crew from the Japan Broadcasting Corporation (known as NHK in Japan) has documented the origin of mysterious marine ‘crop circles’ that were discovered recently by photographer Yoji Ookata on a routine dive near the island of Amami Oshima. The intricate pattern of these circles is visible in the sand, distinguished by “hills and valleys,” and was positively identified as being sculpted by a small puffer fish. Image courtesy of thisiscolossal.com Using a single fin, the fish carves out the circular shape in the sand over the course of a day or so in order to attract a mate. Once a mate is found and eggs are laid in the center of the circle, the sculpture’s ridges further function as a “natural buffer to ocean currents that protect the delicate offspring.” This discovery is the first of its kind and points to the complexities of ocean ecology, which we have only just begun to uncover. Read more here!