The Odd Fish: A new illustrated children’s picture book with a powerful message about plastic pollution in the ocean and looking after our environment

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The oceans are home to some of the strangest creatures known to man. Below are some of the world's weirdest fish. 10. Fangtooth Hagfish have a snake-like body, a tooth-like structure called a keratinous plate, and multiple pairs of tentacles surrounding their mouths. They are scavengers, feeding on dead and decaying animals on the ocean floor. The Mekong Giant Catfish is a large freshwater fish native to the Mekong River in Southeast Asia. The species is the largest freshwater fish in the world, growing up to 3 meters in length and weighing up to 300 kilograms. The piranha’s fearsome reputation is not quite deserved; although piranhas do occasionally enter feeding frenzies while consuming a large prey animal, they are not apex predators and are just as likely to be prey to larger predators. Discover More With Active Wild You’ve probably never laid eyes on a wels catfish before, let alone caught one. Well… German angler Martin Glatz landed this stunner while fishing at a lake in the Netherlands with his twin brother. He calls his catch a “mandarin catfish,” which is how some European anglers refer to leucitic wels catfish. It’s as yellow as a school bus. 8) A Lancetfish from “The Twilight Zone”

The leafy seadragon is a unique and fascinating marine fish found only in the southern coastal waters of Australia. It is a member of the Syngnathidae family, which also includes seahorses and pipefish. The species is a member of the family Lampridae, which also includes the Oarfish and the Ribbonfish. It has a distinctive circular body shape and is one of the very few “warm-blooded” fish that are capable of maintaining a body temperature higher than the surrounding water. The eyes, and the fishes’ flattened, bony head and upturned mouth are adaptations for ambush hunting. A stargazer’s modus operandi is to bury itself in the sand and launch itself at its unsuspecting prey. Read Next: The Best Fishing Records of 2021 1) Biggest Sawfish of All Time This 16-foot long sawfish was the largest ever recorded. FWC Fish and Wildlife Research Institute via Facebook The Alligator Gar is a large freshwater fish native to North America. This unusual-looking species is one of the largest freshwater fish in North America, with some individuals exceeding 300 pounds in weight and reaching over 8 feet in length. Its name comes from its broad, alligator-like snout, which is filled with razor-sharp teeth.Pufferfish are poisonous as the powerful neurotoxin tetrodotocin (which has no known antidote) is found in the internal organs and skin. The sale of pufferfish for human consumption is banned in the EU and United States. However, in Japan pufferfish, where it is known as fugu, is considered to be a delicacy with chefs – who must have had at least two year’s training and have passed written and practical exams – able to fillet the fish to avoid the poisonous organs and serve the edible flesh. Sunfish This weird fish is relatively small, reaching a maximum length of only about 9 centimeters. Despite its eye-catching appearance, little is known about the ecology or behavior of this species. Discover More With Active Wild If you have trimethylaminuria, any children you have will be carriers of the faulty gene so are unlikely to have problems. There's only a risk they could be born with the condition if your partner is a carrier. Like all piranhas, the red-bellied piranha is a squat, powerful fish, armed with a mouthful of sharp teeth. The species is an omnivore, eating plants as well as a variety of small to medium-sized animals, including fish, worms, and even mammals and birds. Hagfish are a group of primitive, jawless fish known for their unique defense mechanism, which involves the release of copious amounts of slime when threatened. This slime can clog the gills of potential predators, allowing the hagfish to escape.

Sawfish are a rare species of fish characterized by distinctive, saw-life “rostrums” that they use as a weapon and a digging tool. This spring, a 16-foot monstrosity washed up on shore in the Florida Keys. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation biologists estimate the beast weighed 800 to 1,000 pounds—and say it’s the largest sawfish on record. Sawfish are protected under the Endangered Species Act. Scientists could not pinpoint a cause of death for the large sawfish. 2) Angler Catches Rare Mutant Carp This is a rare faintail mirror carp. Connecticut DEEP via Facebook Trimethylaminuria (TMAU) is an uncommon condition that causes an unpleasant, fishy smell. It's also called "fish odour syndrome". Despite this reputation, confirmed cases of candiru entering human bodies are very rare, and most reported cases are based on hearsay or anecdotal evidence.You might think that all species of fish swim through the water, but then something like the handfish comes along to turn that idea on its head. Preferring instead to go for a walk along the seafloor using a unique set of fins that look similar to hands and function like feet, the handfish was certainly unique. Frogfish are a family of small, bottom-dwelling anglerfish that are found in tropical and subtropical waters around the world. They are named for their frog-like appearance and behavior, as they have a broad, flattened body and are able to “walk” along the seabed using their fins. Frogfish are popular among divers and underwater photographers due to their unusual appearance and behavior. Discover More With Active Wild Either way, here are ten of the most unusual fish that have been found swimming in our oceans. 1. Leafy sea dragon Despite its name, the vampire squid isn’t actually a squid, or an octopus. It’s also not a vampire, for reasons which should be pretty obvious. In fact, they’re pretty placid considering their scary-sounding name.