Oddballs of the deep

Remember Sigmund and the Sea Monsters, a show aired on RPN 9 eons ago about an adorable one-toothed sea monster that was constantly picked on and bullied by two other sea monsters? (Never mind, Gen Y readers. You weren’t even born yet then.)

Well, it was Sigmund that came to mind when we entered yet another underwater world in Seoul, South Korea, recently.

The COEX Aquarium, like its counterparts in other parts of the world, houses hundreds of species of sea creatures. It has the requisite glass tunnel and gigantic aquarium "screen" where one can sit back and watch a seven-foot long sawfish, an ancient sea turtle, and several species of huge sharks swim about, oblivious to the curious stares, the excited chatter of small kids, and the furious clicks of flash-aided cameras. Holding 25,000 tons of water, the COEX Aquarium is home to 40,000 marine wildlife (from 600 species) taken from the Korean Peninsula and other parts of the world.

But it is the lesser known, seldom seen, strange-looking Sigmund-like sea creatures that stood out from the rest. With appearances ranging from the funny to the ridiculous, from the seemingly harmless to outright menacing, these different species of marine animals made quite an impression on us terrestrial visitors.

Though commonly seen, the electric eel is still a sight to behold. With almost black skin, it could pass off as driftwood when not in motion. If the word "elegant" can be used to describe a sea creature, the electric eel would be it. We’re not really sure how it got its name but we’re positive that the electric eel has an electrifying presence.

The Eschmeyer’s scorpionfish, meanwhile, looks like a goldfish about to attend a ball with its ruffle- and lace-like fins and tail. This fish would certainly be most at home in Queen Victoria’s time.

The masters of disguise among the brood are clearly the leaf fish and the dragonfish. The spotted leaf fish looks like a fallen, dried, brownish leaf floating in water or attached to a driftwood. Viewed up front, it’s less than an inch thick and is shaped like a leaf viewed sideways. The dragonfish, on the other hand, is a personal favorite with its graceful, willowy presence. It actually looks like kelp from afar, in various colors at that – orange, green, or yellow. The dragonfish is definitely the chameleon of the sea.

Another master of disguise is the diminutive pipefish, which can easily be mistaken for a sea grass. With heads turned towards the ground, the pipefish look like flora growing from a sandy seabed, or in this case, the sandy bottom of a huge aquarium.

The lionfish, meanwhile, doesn’t really look like a lion. Instead, it looks more like a flamboyant cousin of the prickly porcupine with its spiny fins and tail. Marveling at the stripes on its body, a group of kids huddled in one corner of the aquarium whispered among themselves about this "water zebra" referring, of course, to the lionfish.

Perhaps a distant cousin of the eel is the Northern Snakehead, which has a longish frame and snake-like scales pattern. It can grow as long as 14 inches and weigh up to 15 pounds, and yes, its head looks like that of a snake.

The ratfish is called such because of its mouse-like appearance with its big, round eyes and snout. Its body is also dotted with white spots reminiscent of those found in whale sharks or butanding. Hmm, now we wonder... could the red-tailed catfish species be a threat to these smaller ratfish? Growing to almost 24 inches in length, the red-tailed catfish will make you think twice about having this species for dinner.

Looking like a prehistoric remnant is the Siberian stone loach, which has a long, narrow snout and shark-like features. Not a creature that smaller fish would want to mess with. But it’s the wolf fish that tops our list of scariest-looking fish. It doesn’t only look antediluvian, it also looks like a petrified rock if it’s not moving. The wolf seems angelic next to this ugly beast with its thick lips, bulbous eyes, sharp teeth and rubbery, thick skin. Somehow, the fish’s expression reminds us of those fierce-looking guardian statues in Taoist temples, or even the grotesque Korean masks called tal.

For a touch of the extra-terrestrial, the ghost-like appearance of the olindias formosa, a type of jellyfish, is a sight to behold. Placed in a blue tank, this transparent blob is peppered with tiny luminous green dots which give off an eerie glow. The tiny red-eyed moenkhausia, meanwhile, looked like a bunch of guppies with sore eyes.

But of all the strange fishes we’ve seen at the COEX Aquarium, the most amusing is the clown trigger. In an "Under the Sea" costume party, this fish’s colors would be the most colorful. Just consider: the bottom half of this dark blue-colored fish is decorated with white spheres and its upper half has streaks of yellow which turns into deep blue towards the fan-shaped, all-white tail. Kids are obviously delighted at the sight of this clownish figure swimming in and out of leaves and rocks., while the adults tried in vain to photograph this swift-moving fish.

We did see some very familiar species such as the common carp, the silver arowana, and even bangus fingerlings. The piranhas, as always, look terrifying as ever and the African spurred tortoise, as old as time. In all, the odd-looking bunch of sea creatures we saw provided a much-needed variety in the COEX Aquarium. These creatures may look intimidating but, perhaps like Sigmund, they’re probably more harmless than the human beings who view them in their watery world.