Undersea Crop Circles

Undersea Crop Circles

They’ve been called the crop circles of the ocean floor—seven-foot diameter patterned circles that were first spotted in 1995 off the coast of southern Japan.

 The mystery persisted until 2011 when the culprit, a male pufferfish just five inches long, was finally caught in the act. And recently scientists studied the process of how the species creates these elaborate designs in order to woo females.

The photo above shows the artist: the puffer fish. In Japan, these fish are considered a delicacy, despite the fact they can be poisonous. This fish even takes small shells, cracks them, and lines the inner grooves of his sculpture as if decorating his piece. Apparently female puffer fish are attracted by the grooves and ridges. They mate and lay eggs in the center of these undersea circles.