Can you guess what kind of sea creature creates these unique underwater “crop circles”?
No, it’s not an alien. It’s a pufferfish.
These bizarre crop circles were discovered by divers in the 1990’s off the coast of Japan. At that time, nobody knew what they were or understood where they came from. It took nearly a decade to find out that the artists were actually pufferfish looking to impress a mate.
Males spend approximately 10 days creating these 7-foot nests to woo females. Measuring only 5 inches, the pufferfish uses his fins and body to create peaks and valleys in the sand.
The male also designs fancy patterns in the sand, and decorates the outer portion with shells and coral fragments.
If the female approves of his artwork, she will lay her eggs in the center of the circle and leave. Scientists theorize that the larger and more elaborate nests could signify that the males were stronger and more fit, thus making them more appealing to the females. However, no one knows for sure.
After the female takes off, it’s up to the hard-working male to look after the nest for 6 days until the eggs hatch.
Once his parental duties are over, he starts all over again and builds a brand new nest to impress the next lovely lady that swims by.
Impressed?
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