What has icy blue eyes, pinkish-grey scales and a long, skinny tail?
That’s what the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s research division asked when its scientists were sent pictures of the unusual fish caught off the Pensacola coast.
“Have you ever seen anything like it? These photos were passed along to our researchers, who agreed that this is ‘a very rare fish, almost unknown from inshore waters,’” the FWC wrote on Facebook about the pictures.
The state’s Fish and Wildlife Research Institute Monday commented on its initial post identifying the fish as Ijimaia antillarum, commonly known as a jellynose.
“The species was first described in 1935 off of Cuba. Most known records of this species are from deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea,” the research institute’s curator said on Facebook.”This is special because it was caught in very shallow waters. Most records of this species are from deeper than 300 meters. It is also pretty rare.”