Ogcocephalidae

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Ogcocephalidae (batfish; subclass Actinopterygii, order Lophiiformes) A family of bizarre, marine, bottom-dwelling fish in which the body is usually much depressed and flattened sideways, with the eyes located on the upper surface. Awkward swimmers, the batfish use the widely separated pectoral fins as legs to ‘walk’ over the bottom of the sea-bed. Often partly hidden in the sand, they use a long tentacle on the head to entice small fish to come close by, and then swallow them. The brownish Ogcocephalus vespertilio (long-nosed batfish) is one of the more common species of the Atlantic region. There are about 55 species, distributed world-wide.