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‘Ravenous’ cannibal fish found washed ashore in Texas likes luring prey to their death

It’s a fish-eat-fish world underwater, and a “weird” and “ravenous” specimen recently found washed ashore in the Texas gulf takes it to another level, happily eating its own when the opportunity arises.

“In the continuing saga of weird things washing up on our shore, this little guy was found by a visitor a few weeks ago,” the Padre Island National Seashore said Monday in a Facebook post.

The sargassum fish isn’t the biggest or toothiest predator in the sea, but it makes up for it with stealth, trickery and sometimes betrayal.

The black and yellow color pattern blends in with the seaweed beds in the Gulf of Mexico, and the fish can also adjust its color as needed.

“Using its ability to change color to camouflage with its surroundings, the sargassum fish is able to stealthily snatch unsuspecting prey from the water,” PINS said. “It is also known to be a cannibal and prey on its own kind.”

A sargassum fish was once found with 16 juveniles of the same species in its stomach, according to Mission Blue, an ocean exploration and preservation advocacy group.

Similar to the eerie anglerfish, the sargassum fish has a naturally occurring protrusion extending from its head that helps lure prey, according to the University of Florida.

“Sitting very still, the sargassumfish ‘fishes’ with its rod-like illium topped with a lure-like lump,” the Florida Museum says.

The cannibal creature is also able to “crawl” along the sea grass beds it calls home using specialized fins.

On the rare occasion its camouflage doesn’t work, the sargassum fish can escape predators by jumping out of the water onto sea weed mats floating on the surface “for extended periods of time,” according to UF.

They don’t pose a threat to humans in the ocean, but in the kitchen, toxins found on the fish’s flesh have caused poisoning, according to the university.