Kids, look what dad has got for you to play with!
WHEN your father is a deep-sea expert, you might expect some unusual gifts from his expeditions around the world.
But even this scientist’s children must have been left mystified after he brought these grotesque-looking creatures home for them to play with.
And even more mystified were the staff at a nature reserve where the fish turned up after being left on a beach by the children.
The extraordinary collection of dead deepsea creatures – including a fish with teeth so large it cannot close its mouth and the fearsome Viperfish – were discovered on Monday by a 15-year-old volunteer at the St Cyrus National Nature Reserve, Montrose, Angus.
The find sparked excitement among the reserve’s staff, who initially thought the creatures had been washed up by a deep swell.
A member of staff wrote on the St Cyrus Facebook page: ‘I was completely excited by today’s find. A childhood dream to see so many different deep-sea fish species, including two different species of Chimaera. The deep swell often brings strange items, turtles, bearded seal, but never such an array of treasures.’
But the illusion was shattered when it transpired they had been left there by a scientist’s family. Responding to the post, Helen Drewery wrote: ‘The deep-sea fish are courtesy of us. My husband is a deep-sea expert at Marine Scotland (Torry) and brought them back from a research trip on Scotia in the Atlantic as “toys” for our small kids.’
She added: ‘Sorry, we had intended to bury them but daughter left them on beach and they got taken by the tide.’ Her admission was admonished by many who were unhappy to see the rare specimens treated so carelessly. Kirsten Renée Engeseth wrote: ‘That’s pretty disgusting practice... does the research team approve of this?’
Among the haul is a Sloanes Viperfish, a Fangtooth, a Black Scabbard and two different species of Chimaera.
According to Blue Planet II, the Fangtooth has the largest teeth to body size ratio of any ocean fish.
According to the St Cyrus reserve, the frightening-looking Viperfish is a fierce predator that swims at its prey, skewering them with its teeth.