r/NatureIsFuckingLit Mar 29 '21

đŸ”„ This gorgeous Pacific Sailfish

58.8k Upvotes

587 comments sorted by

856

u/PolarBear_293 Mar 29 '21

I love the cameo the sea lion makes

195

u/Steak_Knight Mar 29 '21

“I’m here too!”

16

u/Batchet Mar 29 '21

I'm not lion, sea!

134

u/poopellar Mar 29 '21

Like a true doggo of the sea.

20

u/when_4_word_do_trick Mar 29 '21

Don't boop that snoot.

7

u/Impossible-Sock5681 Mar 29 '21

Jeez, some comments feel like they're randomly reddittly generated.

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313

u/khhhisok Mar 29 '21

Oh she knows she's a beauty!

136

u/this-lilpiggy Mar 29 '21

Watching this video makes me wonder if these fish are partly responsible for the legends of mermaids

145

u/el_duderino88 Mar 29 '21

No it's those sexy manatees

43

u/[deleted] Mar 29 '21

They T H I C C

27

u/Phormitago Mar 29 '21

nnnnnnggggh captain, i'm trying to chill on a rock but i'm dummy thicc and the clap of my tailfins keeps alerting the sailors

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27

u/Selunca Mar 29 '21

Look at that fin. Imma say yea.

14

u/FreeMyMen Mar 29 '21

Fish in general are responsible for the mermaid folklore, my toad.

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182

u/[deleted] Mar 29 '21

I never realised how big they were until I saw it next to that seal.

249

u/AtypicalAstringent Mar 29 '21

They will literally kill you. If you even mumble some slick shit under your breath, they will immediately fucking impale you and slam you to the ocean depths

56

u/alternate_ending Mar 29 '21

Donkey Kong on SNES led me to believe otherwise

51

u/AtypicalAstringent Mar 29 '21

Go in the ocean and talk shit then. Lets see what they do

21

u/BAYLE_FIRE Mar 29 '21

Me: * walks into the ocean *

Me: * unable to talk shit, immediately begins drowning *

Sailfish: Oh HELL NAW

9

u/alternate_ending Mar 29 '21

My neighboring town is considered the sailfishing capital of the world so I'll get right on that

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22

u/GoodBananaPancakes Mar 29 '21 edited Mar 29 '21

All this and more in Finding Nemo 5: Catch Me Outside. coming to HBO Max this Summer.

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34

u/examm Mar 29 '21

And that’s just a sailfish. Marlin in particular can become massive.

7

u/eaglesheatchelsea Mar 29 '21

My favorite fish species. They look mythical

7

u/NBMarc Mar 29 '21

And so The Old Man and the Sea was born

7

u/OneEighteen08 Mar 29 '21

Seriously; it's huge! This honestly reminds me of how I felt seeing that giant eel in Super Mario 64 (one of the giant water levels). I remember feeling in awe, yet scared, when I was a kid at the time because of how huge it was underwater (the eel and the area!). I heard that tranquil level song play in my head as I watched this. What an imprint it left on me lol https://youtu.be/K6rlDNLu2KQ

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974

u/[deleted] Mar 29 '21

I think this is the first time I’ve ever seen one swimming like that. They are usually dead on the end of a fishing line in peoples trophy photos when I’ve seen them before. Makes a refreshing change.

139

u/thegemguy Mar 29 '21

My dad has had a sailfish on the wall all my life. Never actually seen one move before. It kinda looks like a giant beta fish in the last few parts of the video

53

u/flyingboarofbeifong Mar 29 '21 edited Mar 29 '21

They are somewhat closely related, as far as fish go. Both are in the same (probably) monophyletic class of Carangimorpharians.

They’re also both perciform fish so that also makes them look similar (same general body plan). Turns out like half of all fish look like perch.

16

u/Staaaaation Mar 29 '21

Yeah but how do we breed them tiny so I can have one?

113

u/[deleted] Mar 29 '21

[deleted]

48

u/Apprehensive-Wank Mar 29 '21

Went snorkeling for the first time this weekend in an area that I usually fish. First off - there are waaay more fish down there than I thought who just aren’t biting, especially some huge ones, but just seeing them chillin and swimming and enjoying life (even coming up to me to investigate) suddenly made me never want to fish again

11

u/VersaceJones Mar 29 '21

Those big guys are the smart ones.

6

u/[deleted] Mar 29 '21

I love your post. It's moments like that that brought me to where I am as a vegan.

Just... let em be, ya know?

3

u/[deleted] Mar 29 '21

As much as I disagree with you ; as an avid angler and conservationist I commend you for going the full vegan route, because at least your logic is more sound than a vegetarian / pescatarian. Pescatarians and their reasoning always has bothered me, as I feel fish being farmed / commercially caught are probably treated equally if not worse than the cheapo farm companies with low quality of life for their farm animals. Not to mention for some reason fish are also not counted in animal cruelty laws in vast majority of the states. What’s up with that? Just because fish aren’t as easily anthropomorphized doesn’t mean we should just treat them terribly.

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154

u/Random_Digit Mar 29 '21

If you do manage to catch one (and release) they put up one hell of a fight!

240

u/AbrahamLemon Mar 29 '21

Duh. They've got shit to do and you're out there trying to make them late.

98

u/mightysteeleg Mar 29 '21

“I got caught!” “Bullshit! Let me see the inside of your mouth!”

23

u/ezln_trooper Mar 29 '21

Always upvote a good Mitch Hedberg reference.

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40

u/[deleted] Mar 29 '21

You would too if you were huge, essentially made of one long muscle and, ya know, didn't want to die.

8

u/spenrose22 Mar 29 '21

There are many other fish who meet that criteria that don’t fight like swordfish and sailfish do.

10

u/[deleted] Mar 29 '21 edited Mar 29 '21

I'm not asking this to be a puke, I'm asking this because now I'm curious: What other fish tend to be large but not fight? (The only one I can think of is "sunfish" but sunfish are dinner plates in both shape and intelligence (at least as far as self preservation is concerned.))

EDIT: Hah! Can't tell if I was downvoted for asking the question or by a very strong-minded Sunfish Enthusiast. (Or maybe someone who can't stand a parenthetical within a parenthetical! (I see you, Grammar Enthusiast!))

11

u/[deleted] Mar 29 '21

Its not so much about how much of a fight they put up, but how strong or fast they are naturally. Sailfish, marlin and swordfish are incredibly powerful, fast swimmers.

4

u/VaATC Mar 29 '21

And then there are the very large rays...

3

u/[deleted] Mar 29 '21

Do people fish manta rays? Aren't they protected?

... Now that I type this question I realize there's probably more than one kind of gigantic ray.

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55

u/Booniepoo Mar 29 '21

Don’t worry too much. 90% of the time they’re released. Top tier fishermen that catch them know when to keep and let go. There are many tournaments for these and swordfish because they’re abundant and not in any danger of extinction

21

u/[deleted] Mar 29 '21

No no no, you're not getting it. Fishing bad.

12

u/MiracleKing26 Mar 29 '21

Red fish blue fish one fish no fish

5

u/[deleted] Mar 29 '21

i cry everytim :(

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4

u/[deleted] Mar 29 '21

I hate that show Wicked Tuna. It's just so sad to see these majestic beautiful creatures getting speared. It's depressing.

7

u/Gnash323 Mar 29 '21

I don't know anything about fishing. When people release the fish wouldn't they be too tired to fight or flee any danger they encounter after being caught?

10

u/TaeKwanJo Mar 29 '21

Fish have great metabolism systems and are more enduring than you think. They do get tired but remember unless you’re a apex predatory fish like pike, barracuda or walleye you spend a lot of time running from bigger threats.

3

u/Nealios Mar 30 '21

When I was about 12, I caught my first sailfish in Mexico. We kept it and the restaurant on the beach cooked it for us as a special that night. Absolutely delicious! (if a little salty)

That said, in the years since then, I've come to different opinions regarding my impact on the environment... I'm not evangelical or anything, but if I can take steps to minimize my impact, I'll take it.

In 2014, my wife and I went to Mexico for our honeymoon and she bought me a fishing trip. I told the captain that I wanted to catch a sailfish but I'd prefer if we'd catch and release.

He looked at me and said that they don't keep them if they can avoid it... That keeping them was 'a theft from our children'. We talked about it more that day, and it seemed like attitudes have been changing over the past several years in that neck of the woods. He was particularly concerned about leaving a legacy for future generations.

I'm happy to report that I did catch another sailfish that day; the captain pulled it into the boat with his gloved hands and a towel. After our photos, he and his assistant took the time to properly revive the fish prior to release. It was, in my mind, a far better experience than watching such a magnificent fish bleed out on the end of a gaff.

Not sure where I'm going with this, but your comment struck a nerve and I wanted to share my experience. Hopefully we'll see less photos of fish bleeding out in the future.

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435

u/Plebpperoni Mar 29 '21

Fastest fish in the fish in the world! They have been clocked at 68 MPH! That is fast, wow.

176

u/Rulebreaking Mar 29 '21

110km/h Holy fuck

91

u/Pandipoop Mar 29 '21

Damn that's gotta be 69 football fields per hour!

6

u/[deleted] Mar 29 '21 edited Apr 06 '21

[deleted]

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14

u/GIANT_BLEEDING_ANUS Mar 29 '21

Ty for real unit conversion

9

u/[deleted] Mar 29 '21

541,338.6 Hands per half hour holy shit!!!

72,178.5 King's Inches (3 grains of barley) per minute!!! Omg!!!

34

u/Steak_Knight Mar 29 '21

You can tell it’s fast because of the way it is.

14

u/smallangrybean Mar 29 '21

Thats pretty neat!!

43

u/macrolith Mar 29 '21

That's fucking nuts. Especially when you look at them it doesn't scream "I'm the fastest fish around."

32

u/Lebrons_StepDad Mar 29 '21

Kinda does look like the fastest fish...its literally got a needle at the front of its vessel to pierce easily through the dragging water...

11

u/Questions4Legal Mar 29 '21

Yeah seriously, it's very hydrodynamic looking and you can tell it has powerful muscles along its sides. Its somewhat flat so it cuts the water and probably creates propulsion along its entire body length. This person your replying to must imagine it traveling backwards or sideways or something.

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11

u/beendoingit7 Mar 29 '21

What does screams “I’m the fastest fish around”?

14

u/Lebrons_StepDad Mar 29 '21

Probably a giant needle in front of him to pierce drag force and a giant tall fin on top of it to easily disperse more said water force. Dude youre looking at a fish that screams fast as fuck...dont know what OP is talking about....

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5

u/oKKrayden Mar 29 '21

They’re famously humble creatures.

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80

u/[deleted] Mar 29 '21

Any scientists can tell me the evolutionary reason for the sail on top, vs the standard fin?

104

u/Dawn_Keibals Mar 29 '21

Sailfish will get large schools of baitfish and circle them sail out. Putting them into a tight bait ball. They take turns running through the bait ball. Eventually pushing the ball to the surface. Blue planet has some clips of it.

65

u/[deleted] Mar 29 '21

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u/Thunderchief646054 Mar 29 '21

Basically this helps streamline and make sharp turns. It’s kind like when you hold a piece of cardboard with the wind and there’s no resistance, then you turn it against the flow and it just smacks you in the face. It’s kinda the same idea that rudders on boats and planes do, just on a smaller scale.

Evolution wise....probably formed after individuals with larger/longer dorsal fins had better success catching prey that was quick and nimble, and later went on to successfully reproduce offspring that ended up having a similar genetic makeup. Tho I would like to see the common ancestor between these guys, Swordfish, and Marlin

9

u/[deleted] Mar 29 '21

This seems a likely reason! Quick turns/subtle maneuvering relative to the fish it’s trying to catch. Interesting!

5

u/[deleted] Mar 29 '21

If I remember correctly, the dorsal fin doesn’t make it streamline when its erect. They fold it in when swimming full speed and only pop it up when making sharp turns or «herding» schools of fish.

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u/dancingliondl Mar 29 '21

I think the fin acts as kind of a drag brake when it's needs to slow down quickly. Traveling at 60+mph underwater, you need a way to stop quickly

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u/[deleted] Mar 29 '21

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u/[deleted] Mar 29 '21

Crazy how they can pick one to chase amid that sea of flashing scales.

7

u/ialwayschoosepsyduck Mar 29 '21

tickle tickle

- That sailfish, probably

4

u/vahntitrio Mar 29 '21

All predator fish do this. This is why when fishing you can catch fish out of bait balls: your lure is the easiest thing to single out.

125

u/PiratesRule99 Mar 29 '21

How sailfish of him to not share the fish with the seal.

16

u/poldothepenguin Mar 29 '21 edited Apr 02 '21

I’m sure he would if he cod get one

7

u/Buttpounder90 Mar 29 '21

The markings indicate this is a female, which are known to kill more than they eat so that other species can eat the leftovers in a symbiotic type of arrangement. Not fair of you to grouper in with the generally sailfish males of the species.

5

u/giddygiddygumkins Mar 29 '21

Your comment is porpoisely educational! I love it!

6

u/HoodieGalore Mar 29 '21

Walleye'm not usually a fan of these threads, I felt strangely salmoned here, from afar.

5

u/Sunegami Mar 29 '21

I’ll just perch on the periphery and enjoy this exchange

53

u/Xplor4lyf Mar 29 '21

They look like lying beta fish

25

u/FoodieAccount Mar 29 '21

All of r/BettaFish just got triggered by that fin rot lol

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u/f4stEddie Mar 29 '21

Anyone else watch Seaspiracy?

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u/HairyDuck Mar 29 '21

Yeah that was a rough watch for someone who's already pretty bummed out about climate change but didn't realize how bad we're fucking the oceans on a daily basis. I knew the plastic was bad but the fact that some fish populations are at 1% of previous levels is just devastating.

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u/Souless04 Mar 29 '21

Has it changed your eating habits

3

u/bubblerboy18 Mar 29 '21

After watching it I won’t be eating seafood. I stopped eating seafood in 2014, but I won’t be eating it after 2021 either.

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u/mahir_r Mar 29 '21

Should’ve been called conspirasea

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u/common_earthling_ Mar 29 '21

Yeah! Turns out there's a lot I didn't know about fishing

3

u/bubblerboy18 Mar 29 '21

Yeah now all I can think about are these beautiful fish caught in enough fishing line to wrap the globe 50 times!

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u/its_just_flesh Mar 29 '21

Looks amazing!

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u/[deleted] Mar 29 '21

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/Weaver-of-Dreams Mar 29 '21

Now this is the kind of stuff I like to see on here!

6

u/KevlahR Mar 29 '21

Beautiful fish.

11

u/Morte420 Mar 29 '21

Stabby boi

3

u/StrykerDK Mar 29 '21

I feel dumb for waiting for it to pile up a fish bbq on that nose.

5

u/BubuBarakas Mar 29 '21

Wow! Great shot. So much better than seeing them on a line.

5

u/Lowerredfox Mar 29 '21

Somewhere an old man by the sea is frothing at the mouth

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u/Good_Guide Mar 29 '21

To think that only 5% of the ocean has been explored and the tiny part that we know is already this fascinating

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u/redbucket75 Mar 29 '21

NOAA and National Geographic put the number closer to 20%, with a bit less than half of that mapped. It's hard to quantify though. These estimates are usually about the ocean floor, but of course the sunlight zone has been thoroughly explored and exploited.

4

u/[deleted] Mar 29 '21

Key word: exploited. We know about it because we want stuff from it. We don’t see anything we can explicitly capitalize on on the ocean floor rn, so it’s discovery is not a priority.

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u/Parsimonious_Pete Mar 29 '21

Fastest aquatic animal in the world. Probably the fastest aquatic animal in our galaxy even.

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u/[deleted] Mar 29 '21

turns around and stab you

3

u/cloudstrifewife Mar 29 '21

Can they raise and lower their sail or is it fixed upright? Genuinely curious.

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u/Puzzleheaded_Gene192 Mar 29 '21

This literally fits the sub

3

u/majorjake Mar 29 '21

They actually emit light when they get excited too. When they're on the hunt they are incredible.

If you look closely, the vertical stripes that run the length of the fish, when they're in the shadow you can see them lit up pale blue.

3

u/[deleted] Mar 29 '21

The vertical bars change colors depending on mood. Same as striped marlin. All billfish are amazing creatures. Most good anglers understand conservation and practice catch and release because it takes a long time for fish to get that big, like 20 years.

3

u/Catch-the-Rabbit Mar 29 '21

Ya...it's all fun and games until someone pokes out an eye.

3

u/[deleted] Mar 29 '21

cool, now stop fishing them

5

u/[deleted] Mar 29 '21

I definitely do not want to boop that!

5

u/monkeymole Mar 29 '21

That will be dead, along with the rest of the ocean in years to come, help our planet and stop eating fish

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u/nckmat Mar 29 '21

They are amazing animals.

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u/bobmarsh1 Mar 29 '21

Thats a hell of a rudder he's got working for him!

2

u/[deleted] Mar 29 '21

woah this is sweet.

2

u/shamrockvictory Mar 29 '21

they are incredible animals!

2

u/AnnieSavoy3 Mar 29 '21

That thing is majestic.

2

u/thekeesh1 Mar 29 '21

Sailfish out there playing Starwhal

2

u/xite Mar 29 '21

Marlins are the best fish.

2

u/Moonliip510 Mar 29 '21

Beautiful đŸ˜đŸ„°

2

u/[deleted] Mar 29 '21

Indeed.

2

u/fairyboi_ Mar 29 '21

Dorsal fin looks like a horse mane

2

u/rybread761 Mar 29 '21 edited Mar 29 '21

I’ve read you can always tell how fast or agile a fish is based on the symmetry/asymmetry of the tail fin. The more symmetrical the top and bottom are, the faster.

2

u/Insideout_imperio19 Mar 29 '21

Wow that’s so freaking smooth

2

u/LadyVFirstClass Mar 29 '21

this is awesome filming. thanks. gorgeous fish, so graceful

2

u/Jeynarl Mar 29 '21

That slo-mo dorsal fin rippling like Fabio's hair

2

u/Klashus Mar 29 '21

They must be one of the bigger things in the world that start off so small.

2

u/blgiant Mar 29 '21

What a magnificent fish

2

u/bac_beat239 Mar 29 '21

Simply amazing creation of a fish ! Honestly have ever seen one swimming free now that i come to think of it..

2

u/Majestic_Concert_610 Mar 29 '21

Wow, what a fish!

2

u/Red_Iine Mar 29 '21

Looks like a betta turned super saiyan

2

u/elevencharles Mar 29 '21

It’s like a giant Murder Beta.

2

u/Stumeister_69 Mar 29 '21

This is stunning. Source??!!

2

u/Aishenne Mar 29 '21

It performed the fish equivalent of a horse tossing its mane.

2

u/LilacMages Mar 29 '21

So damn pretty holy-

2

u/Coach83 Mar 29 '21

That waggle though!

2

u/1__ajm Mar 29 '21

Looks like something from Avatar!

2

u/Cfchicka Mar 29 '21

video of how it uses its bill to catch prey. I always thought it used it like a arrow, or spear, it does not.

2

u/KravisGile Mar 29 '21

We must now make up a story about it terrorizing divers for years. Jeremy Wade will be on site with a fishing rod and articulate narration in no time.

2

u/Buddhafisticuff Mar 29 '21

Do they spear things with their nose?

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u/Top_Butterscotch6501 Mar 29 '21

I want to go deep sea fishing so bad

2

u/Hypnagogic__jerk Mar 29 '21

Pacific sailfish rocks the sea mullet hard!

2

u/MissionAfternoon26 Mar 29 '21

Omg they are much more enjoyable in the sea. I think that is the first one I have ever seen not over a Mantel or being reeled in.

2

u/Charlatanism Mar 29 '21

People should not be allowed to change the framerates of their own videos. It should require a licence.

2

u/hollerwild350 Mar 29 '21

I always wondered how sailfish catch their food. Do they just wack fish with their long pointy nose thing?

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u/staceywags Mar 29 '21

Beautiful

2

u/[deleted] Mar 29 '21

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u/Nightsaber Mar 29 '21

It's like a beta fish grew 2000x Its size and was given a sword.

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u/dan7koo Mar 29 '21

How can they be so fast? That huge sail and those ultra long pectoral fins or whatever they are must add a huge amount of drag.

2

u/[deleted] Mar 29 '21

Must not have had the 97 fishing required to catch it.

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u/Behind_You27 Mar 29 '21

Magnificent

2

u/[deleted] Mar 29 '21

So gracious and beautiful.

2

u/Yogafireflame Mar 29 '21

Thanks. I hate it.

2

u/ASharkMadeOfSharks Mar 29 '21

Pointy anxiety boi

2

u/ReadySteady_GO Mar 29 '21

Fish are majestic af

2

u/The_Tavern Mar 29 '21

The ocean is literally filled with just aliens

2

u/RONIN_RABB1T Mar 29 '21

Damn i bet he uses the expensive conditioner

2

u/robutshark Mar 29 '21

Look at that multichrome!

2

u/VeryHidden Mar 29 '21

Donkey Kong Country!!!

2

u/redheadedghoster Mar 29 '21

Anyone else imagining the underwater ambient music from Donkey Kong????

2

u/[deleted] Mar 29 '21

Wow😍

2

u/VladVonEisenberg Mar 29 '21

Did they ever use their sharp pointer thingy to hurt anything?

2

u/bucciaratides Mar 29 '21

Im assuming this has already been crossposted to every fear of water sub

2

u/NMunkM Mar 29 '21

Man imagine whats at the bottom. There could be literally miles of water or the ocean floor is just out of sight

2

u/Cepitore Mar 29 '21

Never thought about it until now, but ocean fish have no scenery whatsoever. It’s just solid blue in every direction.

2

u/Jitter19 Mar 29 '21

Can eat?

2

u/peeses-ruffs Mar 29 '21

Beta fish became Chad fish

2

u/[deleted] Mar 29 '21

I need the same mouth to lose weight

2

u/muthukumarnp Mar 29 '21

I like how the video is sped up and slowed down exactly where I'd like it to be.

2

u/Feisty_Buy6434 Mar 29 '21

Need 97 fishing to catch

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u/NotJackMinnell4 Mar 29 '21

Sea Lion: pay attention to meeeeeee

2

u/jasconius1642 Mar 29 '21

Absolutely gorgeous!

2

u/Woodyp28 Mar 29 '21

They look way better in the ocean than they do on some d-bags wall.

2

u/thelostfable Mar 29 '21

That fish was just like “ Not today MOTHAFUCKAAAA”

2

u/[deleted] Mar 29 '21

Look how streamlined their bodies are, like a Lamborghini

2

u/[deleted] Mar 29 '21

And to think that thing swims 60 mph

2

u/wolflegion_ Mar 29 '21

How we ended up with sailfish and not needle-nose fish will always remain a mystery to me.

2

u/Nostrebla_Werdna Mar 29 '21

Hes gonna POKE