Red-lipped Batfish

Ogcocephalus darwini

(og-ko-sef-a-lus dar-win-e)

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The vibrant red lips of this unusual batfish look like they’re covered in freshly applied lipstick. Why these fish have evolved to have such dramatic lips is a mystery, but it might help males attract females during mating season, or it may help them recognize other batfish.

Still, the red-lipped batfish probably won’t be winning any beauty contests—or any swim meets, either! They’re not especially strong swimmers and often rely on their leg-shaped fins to walk across the seabed.

Since they don’t swim well enough to catch their dinner, they beckon their meals to come to them with their illicium, a retractable lure under their elongated snout that wiggles about like a small fish and releases chemicals to entice nearby prey to swim closer.

These batfish grow to around 10 inches (25 cm) long.

Where They Live

They live almost exclusively around the Galápagos Islands, in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of South America, but sometimes they turn up in waters closer to Ecuador and Peru. They like to dwell on sandy floors between 10 and 250 feet (3–75 m) below sea level, but have been found as far as 395 feet (120 m) deep.

What They Eat

Their lure helps them catch plenty of small fish and such tasty invertebrates as crabs, mollusks, and shrimp.

Close Relations

This species is a kind of anglerfish, like the humpback anglerfish. Both fish have an illicium that they can use to attract prey. But the red-lipped batfish’s lure doesn’t light up like the humpback anglerfish’s does.

Conservation Status

Least Concern

The batfish lives in such a unique habitat that environmental changes don’t affect it in the same way as many other ocean-dwelling species. Deep-sea trawlers may occasionally drag these fish up to the surface or destroy their homes on the seabed, but since they live mostly within the protected waters of the Galápagos Marine Reserve, their population numbers are stable.

Fun Facts

• The name “batfish” comes from the shape of their flat, spread-out body, which looks a little like a bat’s.
• A fondness for red lipstick runs in the family! They have relatives known as the rosy-lipped batfish that live off Cocos Island, near Costa Rica.
• Scientists believe they can live to be 12 years old.
• Their scientific name, darwini, honors the naturalist Charles Darwin, who developed his theory of evolution after studying animals such as these batfish on the Galápagos Islands.