Incredible Underwater Crop Circles

Wilderness Training

Mysterious underwater circles created by 5-inch fish seeking love

Oct. 3, 2013 at 11:48 AM ET

Kawase et al

These “mystery circles” found off Japan are about 7 feet wide and are made by a 5-inch fish.

In 1995, divers noticed a beautiful, strange circular pattern on the seafloor off Japan, and soon after, more circles were discovered nearby. Some likened these formations to “underwater crop circles.” The geometric formations mysteriously came and went, and for more than a decade, nobody knew what made them.

Finally, the creator of these remarkable formations was found: a newly discovered species of pufferfish. Further study showed these small pufferfish make the ornate circles to attract mates. Males laboriously flap their fins as they swim along the seafloor, resulting in disrupted sediment and amazing circular patterns. Although the fish are only about 12 centimeters (5 inches) long, the formations they make measure about 2…

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