The stuff of nightmares: Rare purple eel that resembles Alien film's parasitic 'chestburster' is spotted in China
- A rare purple eel goby was discovered in eastern China's Jiangsu Province
- It feeds on crustaceans, small fish and invertebrates using its scary jaws
- The unusual animal can cover over 100 kilometers on its journeys between the sea and sources of freshwater inland
- Resembles parasitic larvae from the Alien films that grows inside a human host then bursts out of the unfortunate person's chest
|
Sci-fi fans might have hidden behind a cushion or sent popcorn flying the first time they watched Alien and a 'chestburster' violently erupted from a human host's ribcage.
But a creature that looks almost as horrifying has been spotted in a lake in China.
The rare purple eel goby has a face not dissimilar to the fictional alien but is much less violent and feeds on crustaceans instead of humans.
Scroll down for video
The rare purple eel goby has a face not dissimilar to the fictional chestburster alien but is much less violent and feeds on crustaceans instead of humans
The rare purple eel goby looks a little like a 'chestburster' from the Alien films (pictured), which feature fictional predatory extraterrestrials which aim to propagate their species and destroy life that could pose a threat to their survival
The purple eel goby can grow up to 30 centimetres long and feeds on a mixture of crustaceans, small fish and small invertebrates
The ugly fish was discovered in Taihu Lake in Yixing, eastern China's Jiangsu Province, which is unusual as the creature has previously been found in coastal waters, estuaries and rivers.
It is amphidromous and regularly migrates between freshwater and the sea, but unlike similar animals, its journeys are not essential as part of a breeding ritual.
An amphidromous creature reproduces in fresh water, but spends a period of time feeding and growing at sea, usually lasting for a few months.
It then returns to freshwater before a further period of feeding and growing in freshwater, followed by reproduction there.
In its lifetime, the strange creature can cover over 100 kilometres on its cyclical and predictable journeys.
It is a mud-dweller that is bizarrely capable of living out of the water for a a considerable time by taking air into the bronchial chambers.
The purple eel goby can grow up to 30 centimetres long and feeds on a mixture of crustaceans, small fish and small invertebrates.
The ugly fish was discovered in Taihu Lake in Yixing, eastern China's Jiangsu Province, which is unusual as the creature has previously been found in coastal waters, estuaries and rivers. Here you can see its tiny eyes and strong jaw
THE PURPLE EEL GOBY
- The purple eel goby was discovered in Taihu Lake in Yixing, eastern China's Jiangsu Province
- It is amphidromous and regularly migrates between freshwater and the sea
- The creature can swim around 100 kilometers in a lifetime
- It can grow up to 30 centimetres long
- The purple eel goby feeds on crustaceans, small fish and invertebrates
Its is predominantly found in coastal waters and estuaries in offshore islands of East Africa, India and Australia, but has also been spotted in Japan, Bangladesh, New Guinea and New Caledonia.
Perhaps due to its frightening appearance, the animal is not widely caught and eaten.
The creature looks a little like a 'chestburster' from the Alien films, which feature fictional predatory extraterrestrials which aim on propagating their species and destroying life that could pose a threat to their survival.
In the film, the alien's life-cycle involves the hatching of a parasitic larvae called a 'facehugger,' which attaches itself to a living host and then grows within a human before bursting through the unfortunate person's chest.
The 'chestburster' then matures into a terrifying adult which takes on some of its host's physical attributes to adapt to its new environment.
The creature is amphidromous and regularly migrates between freshwater and the sea, but unlike similar animals, its journeys are not essential as part of a breeding ritual. Here you can see its underside, which features a sucker-like fin
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2416016/Rare-purple-eel-goby-resembles-Alien-films-parasitic-chestburster-spotted-China.html#ixzz2eRR0DioI
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
No comments:
Post a Comment