Trigla: Screaming fish with "crab legs". Cool monster from the Black Sea (8 photos)

In the lottery of life, the sea cock hit a jackpot that would make the Little Mermaid jealous. Unlike the unfortunate fairy-tale character, he received both a voice and legs. Despite the fact that it is, in fact, a fish.





The official name of this miracle fish is trigla. But calling the animal a rooster, ichthyologists never made a mistake. Judge for yourself: do you have a bright outfit? Eat. Are there thin legs? Available. Can he yell in the morning? It can. Isn't that the perfect rooster description?



According to the passport, the animal is called a gray trigla. But in the Black Sea, even they dress up in a stylish carnival outfit.

It would seem, why the hell do fish have legs? To wander the seabed from Iceland to Morocco, of course! But only if it’s not too deep there—the fish doesn’t intend to go below 340 meters.





The trigla's legs look as if she treacherously tore them off a crab and attached them to herself. But do not rush to accuse the gurnard of stealing limbs. In fact, the skinny legs are the rays of the pectoral fins. The fish will not be able to walk on land with them. However, this does not bother the trigle; with their outgrowths they probe the sandy bottom for tasty treats: mollusks, crustaceans, worms and small fish.



And if the victim is far enough away, the trigla quietly creeps up to it on improvised limbs. Having approached the throwing distance, she rushes forward, and in the Black Sea there is one less idiot.



But these are all flowers and berries that begin as the mating season approaches. The closer the breeding time, the more often the fish scream. Some eyewitnesses claim that the singing of the fish is indeed similar to the “sounds of a rooster,” but to most it still resembles a grunt or a hoarse grunt.



With the onset of summer, fish go completely crazy: they break away from the bottom and rush upward, towards the heavens. This is where the bacchanalia begins, which will make the hair of an unprepared vacationer stand on end. Bettas jump out of the water and soar using their wide pectoral fins. Passionate fish songs are heard above the waves. Black Sea fishermen are tough guys. They have heard about all sorts of cruelty, but the first meeting with a flying, screaming fish drives into the soul an acute feeling of misunderstanding of the world.



Having swooped and screamed to their heart's content, the cockerels return to their native element to find a female enchanted by the serenade and breed children with her. A healthy and full of energy girl lays up to 14 thousand eggs. The babies will emerge from the capsules within a week after breeding.



Despite the abundance of caviar, there is an acute shortage of triggles around the world. Sea rooster meat is just as good for people as chicken meat, so active commercial fishing is carried out for the fish. And the lower the number, the higher the cost and demand. Everyone wants something exotic! I hope the authorities will begin to control the catch of this animal. Otherwise, our children will never hear the grunting of gurnards over the salty waters...