It's surely no surprise that my favorite Sesame Street character is Aloysius Snuffleupagus, a.k.a. Mr. Snuffleupagus, a.k.a. Snuffy. I mean, it's not a secret that I'm a sucker for an awesome snout, and Snuffy's snout — which is technically a trunk affectionately known as a "snuffle" — is just about the best one of all time. Snuffy's also fluffy, kind, and does a mean snuffle shuffle — what's not to love?
But you know what's possibly even better than Mr. Snuffleupagus? A new fish species named after sweet Snuffy! The adorable creature is the subject of a recent article in the Journal of Fish Biology. The paper, written by marine biologist David Harasti (Port Stephens Fisheries Institute, Taylors Beach, NSW, Australia) and ichthyologist and taxonomist Graham Short (California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco and the Australian Museum Research Institute, Sydney) is titled, "Solenostomus snuffleupagus sp. nov., a hairy ghost pipefish (Teleostei: Solenostomidae) from the Southwest Pacific, with an integrative comparison to S. paegnius."
It's a pretty dense read, but if you want a more general-public-friendly article, Scientific American recently published a piece about the discovery of Solenostomus snuffleupagus — what they describe as the "strange, tiny fish" that's "red and shockingly hairy" and that "resembles the famous Sesame Street character." In their YouTube video about the discovery, Scientific American describes Solenostomus snuffleupagus, a.k.a. the "Hairy Ghost Pipefish" as having "flowing filaments, a long snout, and a shaggy silhouette." They also posit that it shares an "uncanny" resemblance to the beloved fuzzy Sesame Street Character.
Scientific American provides more details of the little snouted fella:
S. snuffleupagus, which measures between one and 1.5 inches long and is found in the southwest Pacific Ocean, is now the seventh known species of ghost pipefish. These animals are relatives of seahorses and known for their remarkable camouflage—likely the evolutionary function of the new species' dramatic look. "They resemble bits of floating red algae," [ichthyologist and taxonomist Graham] Short says. "You can easily see a lot of divers going by this fish and not realizing it's an actual fish."
They further quote Short, who stated, "It was so easy to say, 'Yeah, this looks like Snuffleupagus.' I mean, it's almost identical. It's scary. . . We may have had a few drinks and decided to e-mail Sesame Street Australia. And they answered the following day!"
The find is especially exciting because scientists don't currently know much about ghost pipefishes, as they are small and elusive. CT scans prove that new lil' Snuffy is definitely its own species, though, as it has more vertebrae than its close relatives, which it diverged from about 18 million years ago. S. snuffleupagus is also much more hairy than other species, although its hair isn't like mammal hair. Rather, the 'hairs' are actually filaments attached to the hard bony plates that operate like exoskeletons. Again, Short really has a way with words when he describes S. snuffleupagus' furry look: "Other species can be a little bit hairy in certain spots, like under the snout . . . But this one took the hairy form all the way. I mean, it looks ridiculous."
Ridiculously cute, I think he means!
Go read more about S. snuffleupagus in Scientific American. The piece also includes photos, so you should go take a look!
Previously:
• It's time to celebrate the hideous hagfish
• These fish know when you are staring at their kids and they don't like it
• These are the world's deepest fish ever filmed and caught (video)
• Aggressive, carnivorous, air-breathing, land-walking invasive fish spotted in Louisiana
