The Odd Fish: A new illustrated children’s picture book with a powerful message about plastic pollution in the ocean and looking after our environment

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The Blobfish’s body is adapted to survive at extreme depths, with a very low density that allows it to float just above the seafloor. Sunfish ( Mola Mola) is a strange and unusual-looking fish. It is disc-shaped and can crow to lengths of 4.5 metres (15ft) and weigh thousands of pounds, making sunfish the heaviest bony fish in the world. Sunfish were previously very rare in UK waters, being found in tropical and sub-tropical species, but possibly as a result of warming seas, they appear to be becoming more common around the British Isles. One of the world’s weirdest-looking fish, the Red-Lipped Batfish is named for its distinctive bright red lips, which contrast with its mottled brown body. It has a flattened body, a wide head, and a pair of modified pectoral fins that it uses to “walk” along the seafloor. The Alligator Gar is a large freshwater fish native to North America. This unusual-looking species is one of the largest freshwater fish in North America, with some individuals exceeding 300 pounds in weight and reaching over 8 feet in length. Its name comes from its broad, alligator-like snout, which is filled with razor-sharp teeth.

Eight living species of nautilus are currently recognized ( source), although this figure is disputed by some biologists. The best-known and most widespread nautilus is the chambered nautilus ( Nautilus pompilius). Discover More with Active Wild The sarcastic fringehead is a small, aggressive fish found in the coastal waters of the eastern Pacific Ocean, from California to Baja California. It has a large, extensible mouth, which it uses in territorial displays and fights with other fringeheads.

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Fin Whale Fin Whale from the Air. Notice the asymmetrical coloration of the head. (Photo: Protected Resouces Division, Southwest Fisheries Science Center, La Jolla, California. swfsc.nmfs.noaa.gov) The flamingo tongue snail feeds on soft corals, particularly gorgonians, absorbing the coral’s pigments and incorporating them into its own tissue. Discover More with Active Wild

Lionfish are venomous marine fish native to the tropical Indo-Pacific region. These striking species have become invasive species in many other parts of the world due to their popularity in the aquarium trade. The leafy seadragon is a unique and fascinating marine fish found only in the southern coastal waters of Australia. It is a member of the Syngnathidae family, which also includes seahorses and pipefish. In trimethylaminuria, the body is unable to turn a strong-smelling chemical called trimethylamine – produced in the gut when bacteria break down certain foods – into a different chemical that doesn't smell. Shortly following the lancetfish, another typically deep-sea dwelling fish washed up on a southern California beach. This time it was a Pacific footballfish—a species of anglerfish—that washed ashore near San Diego. Anglerfish typically live 1,000 to 4,000 feet below the surface, where there’s little to no light, and they use bioluminescent lights on the top of their head to lure in fish—and then chomp on them. This footballfish was only the second ever Pacific footballfish to be found in the San Diego area. 10) An Arapaima Invades Florida Arapaima can grow to more than 10 feet in length and 400 pounds. Dawn Hull Unsurprisingly, the British record for a shore caught sunfish comes from the south-west of England with Mr M. Merry catching a sunfish weighing 49lbs 4oz from Fisherman’s Cove, Cornwall in 1976 – a large fish to catch from the shore but small by sunfish standards. It is interesting to note that with the apparent rising sea temperatures around the UK this record still stands today, and the 108lb boat caught record was set in the same year. Electric Ray and Marbled Electric Ray

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The West Indian Coelacanth is a rare fish thought to be extinct until its rediscovery in 1938 off the coast of South Africa. Sadly, this huge fish is endangered due to threats from fishing, bycatch, and habitat degradation, as well as its slow reproductive rate and late sexual maturity. Discover More with Active Wild

Sawfish are a group of ray-like fish belonging to the family Pristidae. Also known as carpenter sharks, they are characterized by their amazing long, flat, tooth-lined snouts, which are used to detect and stun prey. And they aren’t just pretty to look at either; they’re a surprisingly tough fish too. It’s been said that their scales are that strong, even spears can’t through them. 9. Sea pensYou don’t see a catfish like this every day. There were a number of notable “piebald” catfish caught this year, but this one is hands-down one of the most stunning—and odd-looking. Rocco Mansueto caught the rare fish, which likely has leucism resulting in the partial loss of pigmentation, while on a fishing charter on the Tennessee River. “I’ve never had a client catch a piebald catfish before,” said charter Captain Joe Jellison, who put his client onto the fish. “They are quite rare—one-in-a-million chance of getting one.” 6) Biggest Sunfish Ever? The tassled scorpionfish is a carnivore which grows to a maximum length of 36 cm. It has ray fins which possess venomous spines. Swimmers in shallow waters may accidentally step on the tassled scorpionfish. When they do, they may experience painful injury which may eventually lead to death. 5. Frogfish The Longhorn Cowfish gets its name from the distinctive long, pointed horns on its head, which it uses for defense and to probe for food. The projections may also make the fish more difficult to swallow by predators. When stressed, this weird fish is thought to be able to secrete poison from its skin. The piranha’s fearsome reputation is not quite deserved; although piranhas do occasionally enter feeding frenzies while consuming a large prey animal, they are not apex predators and are just as likely to be prey to larger predators. Discover More With Active Wild The Red-Lipped Batfish is a species of fish found in deep waters around the Galapagos Islands and off the coast of Peru. It belongs to the family Ogcocephalidae, which also includes other batfish species.