Handfish

Handfish live in the sea. They have fins that look like hands. They use these fins to walk on the sea floor. These fish move very slowly.

Their skin can feel bumpy. Some people call them warty fish. They live in the water near Australia.

Some handfish are very rare. It is hard to find them. We must help keep them safe.

Handfish are unusual fish that live in the sea. Most fish swim through the water. Handfish prefer to walk on the sea floor. They use their pectoral fins to move. These fins look like small hands. This is why they have their name. Their skin has tiny, tooth-like scales. These are called denticles. Because of this, some people call them warty anglers.

Most handfish live near Australia and Tasmania.

There are 14 species living today. Some of these fish are in danger. The spotted handfish is critically endangered. This means there are very few left. A sea star can be a problem for them. The sea star eats their eggs. Other fish, like the pink handfish, are also rare. Scientists found the pink handfish in deep water. This was a big discovery. It shows they might live in more places than we thought. We also have fossils of handfish from long ago. These fossils were found in Italy.

Handfish are very special marine animals. They belong to a group called the Brachionichthyinae. These fish live on the very bottom of the ocean. Most fish spend their time swimming through the water. Handfish are different because they prefer to walk. They use their pectoral fins to move along the sea floor. These fins look just like little hands. Their scientific name comes from words meaning "arm fish." Some people call them warty anglers. This is because their skin has tiny, tooth-like scales called denticles.

Walking is the main way these fish move about. They use their modified fins to step along the ground. They also have a part called an illicium. This is a modified fin ray located above their mouth. In other anglerfish, this part works like a fishing lure. In handfish, the illicium is short. It does not seem to be used for fishing.

Their bodies also have a unique crest. This happens because a flap of skin joins their second and third dorsal spines. This makes them look very different from other fish.

Scientists have studied handfish for a long time. An American scientist named Theodore Gill first proposed them as a family in 1878. They were known as the Brachionichthyidae family back then. Recent studies in 2025 changed how we group them. Now, they are seen as a subfamily within the larger anglerfish family. We also know about very old handfish from the past. Fossils named Histionotophorus and Orrichthys were found in Italy. These fossils come from the Early Eocene time period.

Today, most handfish live in specific parts of the world. You can find them in the coastal waters of Australia. They also live around the island of Tasmania. Most of the 14 species live in the Australian region. This is unusual because many of them are in danger. The spotted handfish was the first marine fish on the IUCN Red List to be called critically endangered. In 2020, the smooth handfish was even thought to be extinct. However, that status was changed later in 2021.

Many handfish face a hard job to stay alive. The spotted handfish lives near the Derwent River estuary. An invasive animal called the Northern Pacific seastar lives there too. This sea star eats handfish eggs. It also eats sea squirts that help make the ground where fish lay eggs. Other problems include siltation and heavy metal contamination. Some good news came in October 2021. Scientists saw the rare pink handfish on a deep camera. This showed they live in more places than we once thought.

Handfish, also known as warty frogfish, are a unique group of marine animals. They belong to the subfamily Brachionichthyinae. This group is part of the larger anglerfish family known as Antennariidae. Handfish are benthic creatures, which means they live on the very bottom of the ocean. They are quite different from most fish because they do not just swim. Instead, they use their fins to move along the sea floor. This unusual way of moving makes them a fascinating subject for marine biologists.

The way a handfish moves is its most famous trait. They possess highly modified pectoral fins that look like small hands. These fins allow the fish to "walk" across the seabed. Their scientific name actually reflects this physical feature. It comes from the Latin word "bracchium," meaning arm, and the Greek word "ichthys," meaning fish.

Beyond their fins, they have other distinct body parts. They have an illicium, which is a modified dorsal fin ray located above the mouth. While other anglerfish use this as a fishing lure, the handfish version is short and does not seem to serve that purpose. They also have a crest on their back. This occurs because a flap of skin joins the second and third dorsal spines together.

Handfish anatomy includes a specific texture on their skin. Their bodies are covered in tiny, tooth-like scales called denticles. This texture is why many people call them warty anglers. There are 14 known living species within the subfamily Brachionichthyinae. These species are divided into five different genera. While they share many traits, their specific body shapes and sizes can vary. Most of these fish are slow-moving and stay close to the ocean floor.

Our understanding of handfish history has changed over time. An American ichthyologist named Theodore Gill first proposed them as a distinct family, Brachionichthyidae, in 1878. For a long time, they were considered the most basal family in their group. However, a phylogenetic study in 2025 changed this view. Scientists found they are actually relatively derived and are the sister group to the Rhycherinae. We also have evidence of handfish from the ancient past. Fossils from the Early Eocene period in Monte Bolca, Italy, show two prehistoric genera: Histionotophorus and Orrichthys.

It is surprising to find these fossils in Italy, since modern handfish are mostly found near Australia.

Today, handfish have a very specific home. They are found in the coastal waters of southern and eastern Australia. They also live around the island state of Tasmania. This region is very important because it is the most species-rich area for them. In fact, all but three of the 14 species are found in the Australian region. Because they live in such specific, restricted areas, they are very vulnerable to changes in their environment.

Their populations are often small, which makes it hard for them to recover if they face trouble.

Many handfish species are currently facing a high risk of extinction. For example, the spotted handfish was the first marine fish ever listed as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List in 1996. This species lives in the Derwent River estuary. It faces threats from the invasive Northern Pacific seastar. This seastar preys on handfish eggs and the sea squirts that form the ground where fish spawn. Other dangers include heavy metal contamination, urban effluent, and increased siltation. The smooth handfish was even thought to be extinct in March 2020.

However, that status was changed to "Data Deficient" in 2021 because scientists could not confirm it was truly gone.

Conservation efforts are vital for these fish. Currently, three species are listed as threatened under the EPBC Act and the IUCN. These include the spotted handfish, the red handfish, and Ziebell's handfish. In October 2021, scientists found a reason for hope. They spotted the rare pink handfish on a deep-sea camera off Tasmania. This was the first time it had been seen since 1999. This discovery showed that the pink handfish lives in deeper waters than anyone previously thought. This wider range might help the species survive in the future.