Shrek Fish: Even Mother Nature Imitates DreamWorks Animation

An Asian Sheepshead Wrasse, reports the Christian Science Monitor, was located by scuba divers recently. When people around the world had the opportunity to see what the divers found, it started drawing attention. The male fish, which experts believe to be about 30-years-old, is very common off the coast of China, Japan, North Korea, and South Korea. . However, this particular one closely resembles that loveable DreamWorks Animation ogre, Shrek.

The Daily Mail Reporter(UK) said the scuba divers who found and videoed the fish had no trouble thinking of the name. You can watch the video, shown by MSNBC, here, or on YouTube here. Then make your decision on the nickname given the Wrasse. I, for one, agree completely.

Wrasse feed off shellfish and crustaceans on the ocean floor. It is a cold water to subtropical species, whose natural habitat includes open seas, shallow seas, tidal beds, and coral reefs. Very little is known about it, even though it is a popular food fish, due to its good taste and large size. One conservation measure to protect the species from over-fishing is courtesy of scuba divers in the Japan Sea. Other divers are attracted by an opportunity to see the wrasse in its natural habitat, so the local divers protect the spawning adults from fishing boats in the area.

The Shrek Fish is pink and grey, with protrusions on its forehead and chin. Because it has such a long lifespan, the features can evolve into different shapes, such as the Shrek face, causing one to wonder if evolution is catching up to the movies.

Sources:
Alicia Pflaumer, Shrek fish, Japan's aquatic ogre
Daily Mail Reporter, Is this the world's ugliest fish?
Arkive, Asian Sheepshead Wrasse