The Miserable Life Of A Tripod Fish

Have you ever heard of a Tripod Fish? These fish undergo several painful changes throughout their lives and yet still survive longer than expected. How much do they go through? 

Just After Hatching

Tripod Fish enter the larval stage where they are translucent camouflaged creatures that often float near the ocean’s surface. They mimic the look of jellyfish in order to keep away any predators. Often, free swimming larvae will attach to them already causing harm just after birth, already increasing the risk of death. 

Growing Up As A Tripod Fish

As tripod fish start to grow up they begin growing three bony legs (this is where they get the name Tripod) by the elongation of pelvic and caudal fins which feels like their own body is ripping apart. Next, their eyes slowly lose blindness as they are dying while they are still in need of them. One of the less painful but odd changes they go through is becoming a hermaphrodite, which is where they become both female and male to keep their population ongoing.  

Slowly, tripod fish make their way to the deep and dark bottom of the sea where they will have to stand in place and let food swim into their mouth because their fins have stopped working. They can only move by walking on their three legs that have grown long and thin. Tripod fish have barely any way to protect themselves from teleosts and decapods (bigger fish that hunt them) besides being too frail and thin for any nutrition to be provided from eating them. Meanwhile even more parasites have attached to the fish and have begun laying eggs. 

Adult Life For Tripod Fish

Fortunately, when a tripod fish finds a partner they will reproduce and part ways. Later on if they spot that partner again they might stick by each other’s side until the other passes away. At least they can recognize each other through smell and the sensing of them.

When the life of a Tripod Fish is finally coming to an end, the fish won’t be able to move too well. The legs that they spent growing painfully just stop working. They are starved from struggling to find food and not being able to get anything into their system, but do they die from this? No. They simply die because their time is up. Not from starving, or of their body being too weak, they simply die because it’s just time to go. Don’t get me wrong, they can definitely pass away from those things. All creatures can, but in some cases tripod fish just die naturally of old age. Just like humans. 

If you want to learn more and get a more complex understanding of the life of a Tripod Fish, check out “Why It Sucks To Be Born A Tripod Fish” on youtube, created by Giblixy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCirA55LRcI