Fish dance on sulphur cauldrons

[TechBear_Seattle]

Fish dance on sulphur cauldrons

Scientists have witnessed the extreme lifestyle of tonguefish that like to skip across pools of molten sulphur.

The animals - a type of flatfish - were filmed on three expeditions to undersea volcanoes in the western Pacific.

...

"There are a lot of toxic heavy metals coming out of these active volcanoes," explained Dr John Dower, a fisheries oceanographer.

"The water is very warm, and it can be very acidic, the pH can be as low as two like sulphuric acid," he told BBC News.

"And yet here we've got a group that has not previously been seen in this type of environment and they're doing very well - they're actually thriving."

The full article can be read at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6212716.stm

[acmavm]

1. That's one weird looking and amazing creature.