Fish native to Tasmania, known for walking along seabed using hand-like pectoral fins
Australia released 15 juvenile endemic spotted handfish into the wild for the first time Tuesday following a successful breeding program on the southeastern island of Tasmania, the Australian Broadcasting Company reported.
The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), a government agency, released the fish into an undisclosed location in the River Derwent.
As part of the breeding program launched in 2017, two satellite populations were established at Seahorse World and the Melbourne Aquarium.
The spotted handfish is native to Tasmania and is known for its unique behavior of walking along the seabed using its hand-like pectoral fins, rather than swimming.
Once widespread across Tasmania, the handfish's wild population is now limited to a few locations in the River Derwent and the D'Entrecasteaux Channel.
The released clutch was born last November, and the six-month-old fish are currently 40 millimeters (1.57 inches) long. They will grow up to 120 millimeters (4.72 inches) when fully mature.
