Meet ‘Snuffleupagus,’ a newfound fish sporting shaggy camouflage
Meet ‘Snuffleupagus,’ a newfound fish sporting shaggy camouflage Skip to content Subscribe today Every print subscription comes with full digital access Subscribe Now By Jake Buehler May 18, 2026 at 1:00 pm Share this: Share Share via email (Opens in new window) Email Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook Share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit Share on X (Opens in new window) X Print (Opens in new window) Print In shallow seas near Australia, a familiar, trunked face emerges from billowing tufts of red algae. The fish it belongs to, though, is new to science. The woolly, reddish fish is a variety of ghost pipefish, camouflaged fishes related to seahorses . The species — described for the first time May 10 in the Journal of Fish Biology — has a striking resemblance to Mr. Snuffleupagus, Big Bird’s shaggy, mammothlike friend on Sesame Street . Ghost pipefishes ( Solenostomus ) are so named because their extreme camouflage and geometric silhouettes let the fishes disappear like apparitions into coral reefs. The long-snouted swimmers range from the Red Sea to the western Pacific Ocean, visually mimicking coral, algae and seagrass with spooky accuracy. While scuba diving in Papua New Guinea in 2003, David Harasti — a marine biologist at the Port Stephens Fisheries Institute in Anna Bay, Australia — encountered a coppery, hairy-looking ghost pipefish unlike any of the six previously known species. A tiny fish named for a mammoth character Ichthyologist Graham Short and marine biologist David Harasti studied new specimens of Solenostomus snuffleupagus alongside previously unidentified ones collected from far northern Queensland in 1993 by the Australian Museum. The find represents the first new description of a ghost pipefish species in over two decades. Tap the arrows to see more pictures of the snouted species. Chad Cipiti, G. Short and D. Harasti/ Journal of Fish Biology , 2026 G. Short and D. Harasti/ Journal of Fish Biology, 2026 Michael Workman, G. S
Great read. More people need to see this.
This is fascinating. Thanks for sharing!
Adding my 2 cents — great post.
Great read. More people need to see this.
Shared this with my colleagues. Important stuff.