What if there were a creature called a sarcastic fringehead?!
What: The sarcastic fringehead is a frightening looking fish.
Who: The Greeks are responsible for the first word in this fish's name; "sarcastic" comes from the Greek word, sarkazein, or "to tear flesh like a dog."
Where: Sarcastic fringehead live in the Pacific Ocean along the coasts of the U.S. and Mexico.
When: Whenever divers get too close, sarcastic fringehead have been known to attack with their razor sharp teeth.
How: Four times larger! That's how much larger a the mouth of a sarcastic fringehead is open than when closed!
Why: Why the "fringehead"? Sarcastic fringehead have a little fringe of something called cirri on its face.
Huh?: Sarcastic fringehead families do things a little differently than many animals: rather than the mother hanging around to protect the sarcastic eggs, it's the father's job. This is why they get so chompy at anything--or one!--who gets near their burrows.
Wow!: Tearing the flesh off of other creatures isn't the only thing sarcastic fringehead use their monster mouths for: they also "lip-lock" and wrestle with their mouths to resolve turf disputes with other sarcastic fringeheads.
Curious what cirri are or more wild facts about sarcastic fringehead and other curiously named animals? Check out The Screaming Hairy Armadillo to discover more!
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