It looks like 2014 is all set on totally destroying the previous year’s record for incredible rare fish stories. As you are reading this and carrying on with your daily routine, Japanese reefers are furiously engaging in a bidding war for this brand new tip-top specimen of Opistognathus decorus, the Tattooed Jawfish.
This super deepwater japanese jawfish may be unfamiliar to the rest of the world, but it is not as rare as we make it out to be domestically. Only found in ridiculously deep waters of up to 600ft, it is occasionally collected by accident while deep sea fishing for food fish. Many of these however, are never brought up alive for the trade.
This new specimen by Deep Sea Challengers comes as shocking news for a few reasons. Firstly, we have never seen this species looking so fine and acclimated. The fish is well rested and is eating prepared food from the comfort of its hole, and even swims up against the glass at the start of the video above. It is also the smallest specimen of this normally very large species we’ve ever seen. At approximately 4.5 inches, 11.5cm, this jawfish could very well fit in moderately sized home aquariums, unlike the giant one we reported previously.
As always, we come to the cliche standard cookie cutter ending to most of such rare deepwater fish posts. It’s going to cost a lot, and it’s not going to be an easy buy. The fish is currently up for bid, starting at around USD$4,000. The buy-now price is listed at USD$7000. Too much? Well, the chinstrap jawfish is always available for a fraction of the price, a fraction of the size and also a fraction of its beauty.
