The Old Man and the Sea – Fish Style: Fringed Blenny

Habitat: Northwest Pacific: northern Japan and Gulf of PoHai to Peter the Great Bay
Status: Not Evaluated

Would you take a look at the face on this guy? Truly only a mug that a mother could love… well, and me. But I’m just weird so don’t really take that into account. This is a Fringed Blenny (Chirolophis japonicus) that was expertly photographed by Alexander Semenov, a marine biologist who graduated from Lomonosov’s Moscow State University in the department of Zoology in 2007, he currently works at White Sea Biological Station (WSBS). You can check out more of his outstanding work here, here, and here.

This particular creature reminds me of an animal embodiment of Hemingway’s famous novel. Also with a hint of Gandalf the Great thrown in for good measure.