A conversation with fish scientist Graham Short reveals the journey behind the discovery of a new species of fish named Solenostomus snuffleupagus. Discovered by scientist David Harasti in Papua New Guinea in 2003, it took two decades for Harasti and Short to officially designate it as a new species.
The newly described S. snuffleupagus, named after the Sesame Street character Mr. Snuffleupagus, is a ghost pipefish that camouflages itself as red algae along coral reefs. Resembling its namesake with orange-brown coloring, long filaments, and an elephant-like snout, S. snuffleupagus is about four to five centimeters long and is a predator, feeding on tiny fish.
The discovery of S. snuffleupagus was a moment of excitement for the scientists after years of searching. Through CT scans of specimens collected in 1993, they confirmed the fish as a new species and found sightings in Tonga, Papua New Guinea, and New Caledonia.
While the fish shares similarities with the fictional Snuffleupagus from Sesame Street in appearance, it differs in size and behavior, being much smaller and a carnivorous predator. Short and Harasti’s discovery has garnered widespread interest, and they have their sights set on describing another ghost pipefish species in the future.