Earlier this year, off the southern coast of Japan, Yoji Ookata,
a deep-sea photographer and diver who has been documenting the deep sea
for more than 50 years, saw something he had never observed before. A
circular pattern of rippling sand about 80 feet below sea level and 6
feet in diameter was on the ocean floor. Ookata returned to the same
spot with a TV camera crew in tow to capture the discovery and figure
out who or what had created its intricate design.
Ookata dubbed his new find the "mystery circle"
and was shocked to find out that a single puffer fish, no more than a
few inches long, had created the circles using just one fin. The tiny
fish works tirelessly day and night to complete the design. While the
circled sculpture is beautiful to look at, Ookata and his crew learned
that the fish's creation maintained a dual purpose. Female fish are
attracted to the ridges and valleys left in the sand, and they deposit
their eggs in the center. The eggs are then shielded from the ocean
currents, as the higher points of the sculpture create a barrier to
protect them. The more ridges a sculpture contains, the more likely it
will attract the females of the species.
This discovery really just
scratches the surface of knowledge about the ocean. The rest of the 95
percent still awaits exploration. VIDEO
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