Ashley Nyambe
SWAKOPMUND residents have shared photos of what some have described as an ‘alien’ that washed up at the Langstrand tidal pool recently.
The fish’s red appearance and exposed jaw have led many to believe that it is a dangerous deep-sea alien creature. However, despite its appearance, there is nothing dangerous or alien about this fish. In fact, it is native to the Namibian and South African waters.
“This is a demersal fish species commonly known as a ‘rocksucker’. There is one species, Chorisochismus dentex, that is endemic to our waters and they are commonly found in shallow reef areas,” Erich Maletzky, a Senior Fisheries Biologist from the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources, explained.
ALIEN: A rocksucker washed up at Langstrand. Photo: Facebook (Garth Eyberg). 
ALIEN: A rocksucker washed up at Langstrand. Photo: Facebook (Garth Eyberg). 
ALIEN: A rocksucker washed up at Langstrand. Photo: Facebook (Garth Eyberg). 
ALIEN: A rocksucker washed up at Langstrand. Photo: Facebook (Garth Eyberg).
Living rocksucker fish do not typically look like the fish in the image. This alien-like appearance is a result of dehydration. When these fish are washed up on shore, the sun dehydrates their skin, causing it to shrink. This results in their lips moving back, exposing their jaw and long teeth.
Rocksucker fish are not harmful to human beings and only become aggressive when their eggs are threatened. They feed primarily on limpets, which are aquatic snails that cling to rocks. They use their teeth to pry these limpets from rocks and swallow them whole. Smaller rocksuckers eat small crustaceans if they are not strong enough to pry limpets from rocks.
These fish are part of the Clingfish family and they also have a special structure on their chest called a ‘sucking disc’, which they use to cling to rocks, seaweed and other objects to help them withstand strong currents and waves.
