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 Megamouth Shark gets its name from its weirdly large mouth, which it uses to filter feed on plankton and small fish. The species can grow up to 5.5 meters in length and is typically found in deep waters between 120 and 1,200 meters. Not much is known about the biology or behavior of the Megamouth Shark, as it is difficult to study due to its rarity and deep-sea habitat. The species is currently classified as Data Deficient by the IUCN. Discover More With Active Wild The parents themselves might only have 1 copy of the faulty gene. This is known as being a "carrier". They usually won't have symptoms, although some may have mild or temporary ones. 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. Trimethylaminuria (TMAU) is an uncommon condition that causes an unpleasant, fishy smell. It's also called "fish odour syndrome". The giant squid’s eyes are the largest in the animal kingdom, measuring up to 10 inches in diameter; an adaptation for detecting prey in the dark depths of the ocean. The species primarily feeds on deep-sea fish and other cephalopods.

The Goblin Shark is a deep-sea shark found in oceans around the world, typically at depths of up to 1300 meters. It has a distinctive, long, flattened snout that is covered in electroreceptor organs, which it uses to detect the electric fields of its prey. Jawfish are a family of small, bottom-dwelling fish that are found in shallow waters in tropical and subtropical regions around the world. They are named for their prominent jaws, which they use to excavate burrows in the sand or rubble on the ocean floor. This distinctive whale is closely-related to another weird sea creature, the narwhal, which is known for its unicorn-like tusk. Both species are found in the Arctic Ocean and sub-Arctic waters. Discover More with Active Wild The West Indian Coelacanth is one of two living species of Coelacanth, the other being the Indonesian coelacanth ( Latimeria menadoensis).The only symptom is an unpleasant smell, typically of rotting fish – although it can be described as smelling like other things – that can affect the:

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 Genetic counselling may help you understand the risks of passing trimethylaminuria on to any children you have. Treatments for trimethylaminuria The humphead wrasse is a striking-looking animal, but that’s not why it’s been included in this list of weird fish. The real reason is that it – and many other wrasse (including the equally strange-looking Asian sheepshead wrasse, Semicossyphus reticulatus) – change sex from female to male as they get older. This only occurs in the largest individuals. Discover More With Active Wild The psychedelic frogfish is a peach-colored frogfish. It possesses pink and white stripes arranged in a beautiful fingerprint pattern. The fish has a flat face which enables it to be capable of depth perception. 2. Lionfish Weird fish include the ocean sunfish, a mysterious ocean giant; the coelacanth, a living fossil once thought to have been extinct; the humphead wrasse, a reef fish that starts life as a female but later becomes male; the bizarre-looking red-lipped batfish, found around the Galápagos Islands; and freshwater species such as the candiru and alligator gar.The flamingo tongue snail feeds on soft corals, particularly gorgonians, absorbing the coral’s pigments and incorporating them into its own tissue. Discover More with Active Wild

Like other squid, the Humboldt squid has the ability to rapidly change its color, which it uses for communication and camouflage. 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. Riftia Pachyptila Giant tube worms are among the few animals able to live near a hydrothermal vent.

13. Red Lionfish

It’s been a hell of a year for unusual fish. Granted, these aren’t the biggest fish of the year—and many of the stories behind them don’t even involve any actual fishing—but that doesn’t make them less interesting. If anything, what makes these fish so interesting is that they’re so strange or rare they’ll make you do a double-take when you see them. From a mutant carp to a “demonfish” to monstrous sunfish, here are the 10 weirdest fish of the year. 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” Only discovered in 2007, the pink see-through fantastia is a type of sea cucumber that’s part marine life and part lightshow! With a semi-translucent pink body, this unique-looking fish has its mouth and stomach on display at all times, so it’s possible to watch the process of eating, which they do by pushing food into their mouths using their tentacles, and digestion (should you so wish). This is a form of chemosynthesis, a process in which chemicals are converted into food. (Compare this to photosynthesis – the process by which plants convert light into food.) You've probably never caught any fish like these before. Jay Beiler / Martin Glatz / Tiffany Booth / SHARE

In its native habitat, the blobfish looks almost normal; only when brought to the surface – where there is substantially less pressure – does the fish begin to look “blobby”. Discover More With Active Wild Candiru Image: Ivan Sazima, Jansen Zuanon, Efrem J. G. Ferreira, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped / resized and letter A deleted by ActiveWild.com)

When to see a GP

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. This weird sea creature is biologically immortal – able to revert to its juvenile form, called a polyp, after reaching maturity. This process essentially allows the Immortal Jellyfish to start its life cycle over again, potentially living indefinitely under the right conditions.