I caught this with a landing net under a floodlight at night in a Kimberley bay during my recent trip with Mal Miles. This strange fish had skin like a leatherjacket, a tiny upturned mouth and a goatee on its chin that pointed straight forward when it was swimming in the water. It was thin like a blade and mostly hard to the touch, about 40cm long and patterned like a python. No idea what it is – a pipefish maybe?
I’d like to post this image on Reddit, with your permission, in the hopes that someone can properly ID this cute lil guy. Lemme know?