tripodfish

Bathypterois grallator

Three legged fins hold it upright on the seafloor

Cross-climate
Temperate
Tropical
Regional distribution
Marine fish
Atlantic Ocean
Indian Ocean
Pacific Ocean
Central America and the Caribbean
North America
Medium

The tripod fish (also known as the tripod spiderfish), Bathypterois grallator, is a grinner in the family Ipnopidae found at lower latitudes. Because of its unique way of "standing" on the seafloor, B. grallator is one of the best-known benthic fish, and it is one of the few members of its genus to be directly observed and photographed by submersibles.

Class: Teleosts
Order: Lizardfishes and Allies
Family: Ipnopidae
Genus: Bathypterois
Maximum length: 43.4 cm
Water: Marine
Distribution: Tropical to warm temperate Atlantic, Indian and Western Central Pacific oceans. Western Atlantic: eastern seaboard of the U.S. from about 40°N to the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean..
Conservation status: LCLeast Concern

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