A very rare pink towel shot in the 19th century at the wreck of Tasmania

They will remember this meeting for a long time! Divers investigating a shipwreck off the coast of Tasmania came face-to-face with an extremely rare pink fish – an encounter they managed to film.

An unexpected meeting!

The meeting took place as part of a series of exploratory dives to commemorate the 140th anniversary of the sinking of the ship. The SS Tasman was a steamship built in 1873 to transport goods and passengers. But while attempting to pass through the narrow passage, he sank in December 1883 after hitting an uncharted reef. 29 passengers and crew escaped, but 75 cows remained on board.

The remains of the SS Tasman still lie near the granite island of Hippolyte Rocks, 10 km from Tasmania. And so the divers went there, 70 m below the surface. Pink Hand Fish (Brachiopsilus dianthus), was hidden among the coral-encrusted wreckage. Since the discovery of the species in 1947, there have been only a few encounters with it.

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“We were there to explore the wreck, but the handfish stole the show”Brad Turner, a member of the dive team that found the fish, told Live Science.

But the luck of the divers did not end there. As their survey drew to a close, they were very surprised to spot a second pink fish just 10m from the first.

Who is the hand fish?

As its name suggests, the handfish has two hand-like fins with which it moves. Unlike other fish, it does not have a swim bladder that allows it to control buoyancy underwater. This is why it stays close to the rocky seabed and can only swim short distances.

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As regards Brachiopsilus dianthus, it is one of four endangered handfish species found in Tasmania. It is so rare that it is even critically endangered.

“A key adaptation to their environment is their camouflage (they look like mushrooms on the seabed) Neville Barrett, associate professor of ecology and biodiversity at the University of Tasmania, told Live Science. Their pectoral fins have evolved into hand-shaped structures that allow them to sit on the sea floor and quickly pounce on passing prey.”

Scientists previously believed that the pink fish lives in shallow waters, down to about 40 m. However, recent studies show that an individual was observed in 2021 at a depth of 120 m. And this could be a bad sign for this endangered species.

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“This sighting is one of several recent discoveries over the past two years that have shown us that this species can live much deeper than previously thought.”Neville Barrett told Live Science. Pinkfish are gradually moving from shallow, warm waters to cooler, deeper water refuges, raising concerns for the species’ survival. This habitat will be seriously threatened global warming and this species could easily become extinct within the next 100 years.”