The Sarcastic Fringehead is like no other fish in the sea..although, I guess that can be said about most bizarre fish species. As you will soon find out, these odd-looking fish are incredibly ferocious and extremely territorial, so I would think twice before moving into their neighbourhood.

Cool Facts About The Sarcastic Fringehead

• The “Fringehead” part of their name is a result of the small appendages above their eyes. The “Sarcastic” portion of their name obviously relates to their style of humour. Okay, I am just kidding. The word “sarcastic” can also mean “to tear apart”, so the naming people were actually referring to their aggressive behaviour.

• If you are on the hunt for the Sarcastic Fringehead, you will need to head to the Pacific coast of North America, specifically off the coast of California.

• Although, these scaleless fish, which can grow up to 30 cm (12 inches) in length, look similar to an eel, they are indeed fish.

A Rough Neighbourhood

As alluded to in the opening paragraph, you don’t want to encroach on this fishes territory. If they feel threatened by you, these fish will not simply shy away in the corner. They will come out with their large mouths opened wide in an effort to intimidate you. Against other fish species, this tactic usually works since their mouth is so gigantic that it makes the Sarcastic Fringehead look much larger than they actually are.

If this intimidation tactic doesn’t scare off their intruder the large-mouthed fish will begin attacking more ferociously. Typically, they are stubborn animals and won’t give up until the intruder leaves. As you can see in the video below there has to be a winner in every argument. These two Sarcastic Fringeheads are living a little too close for comfort and as such a battle of mouths ensues. Enjoy the video and if you have any comments or questions, please don’t hesitate to leave them below (or to jump on Facebook and get into the conversation over there).