Oh you know we’re suckers for lumpfish!! Lumpfish may look otherworldly, in part because they love to cling on: Modified pelvic fins form a round suction cup that helps lumpfish stick around and save energy. In fact, their family name “Cyclopteridae” comes from Greek words for “circle” and “fin”!
Lumpfish are so-named for their ridged, bumpy texture created by fleshy knobs known as tubercles.
Denizens of the deep in adulthood, lumpfish migrate to shallower waters to breed, leaving little clumps of lumps to develop in warmer temperatures before returning to more frigid depths.
Coser小梦 portrays the Chinese mermaid called Jiaoren/鲛人. According to “In Search of the Supernatural/搜神记”, a 4th-century compilation of Chinese legends about ghosts and spirits, Jiaoren lived in the South Sea, spent their days weaving cloth, and if they cried, their tears would turn into pearls (x). See more Chinese mermaids here.
