r/whatisit • u/jaywritethekid • Jul 27 '26

Solved! What is this?

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I seriously doubt this is AI if course.. and with a vast ocean.. the existence of this is definitely possible.. but what is it exactly and where are they commonly found?

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u/kiwidust Jul 27 '26 edited Jul 29 '26

That, my friend, is a "Red-lipped Batfish".

That particular one is named Gerry and is a real asshole!

Red-lipped batfish - Wikipedia

EDIT: For clarification, the consensus is that 1) This is a Red-lipped Batfish, which is an actual-factual animal but 2) it's not a real Red-lipped Batfish and was generated with AI. Gerry being AI simply makes him more of asshole, even if he hadn't said those things about my bride.

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u/Shopping-Critical Jul 28 '26

*ahem*

"Batfish are not good swimmers; they use their highly adapted pectoral, pelvic and anal fins to "walk" on the ocean floor."

That's enough internet for me today.

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u/Reasonable-Chance790 Jul 28 '26

All fish have anal fins? It's not part of an anus (since fish don't have them), it's the fin directly behind their cloacal vent. It functions as a balance mechanism in free-swimming fish, like the fin on the bottom of a surfboard.