There aren't many fish that would be called 'cute'.
But that's exactly how the Pacific spiny lumpsucker is described by people who are lucky enough to have spotted one.
Under fluorescent lighting, the Pacific spiny lumpsucker transforms into a 'demonic' creature.
Images was posted on Twitter by Leo Smith, an associate professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Kansas.
'I was quite surprised by how evil it looked once I prepared specimen', Dr Smith said.
Spiny lumpsucker fish commonly live on rocky sea beds and float in seaweed.
They have an almost spherical head and body. Instead of scales they have plate-like structures with shiny lumps called tubercles to defend against predators.
'I chose the Pacific Spiny Lumpsucker because it is a more rotund, so that it's face would be cuter', Dr Smith said.
'Most fish don't look straight ahead like we do, so it is hard to get images where the eyes are even that visible, so the chubbier fishes would be better.
'I also thought the spiny tubercles would fluoresce well', he said.
During winter these creatures are normally found in deeper water, reaching depths of 500 metres (1,600 feet).
They grow up to 18cm (7 inches) in length and feed on a variety of crustaceans, worms and molluscs, writes Aquarium of Pacific.
They are not normally red and come in shades of brown and green with yellow and orange highlights.
These fish are solitary by nature and normally swim alone, using rocks and seaweed for hiding.
But that's exactly how the Pacific spiny lumpsucker is described by people who are lucky enough to have spotted one.
Under fluorescent lighting, the Pacific spiny lumpsucker transforms into a 'demonic' creature.
Images was posted on Twitter by Leo Smith, an associate professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Kansas.
'I was quite surprised by how evil it looked once I prepared specimen', Dr Smith said.
Spiny lumpsucker fish commonly live on rocky sea beds and float in seaweed.
They have an almost spherical head and body. Instead of scales they have plate-like structures with shiny lumps called tubercles to defend against predators.
'I chose the Pacific Spiny Lumpsucker because it is a more rotund, so that it's face would be cuter', Dr Smith said.
'Most fish don't look straight ahead like we do, so it is hard to get images where the eyes are even that visible, so the chubbier fishes would be better.
'I also thought the spiny tubercles would fluoresce well', he said.
During winter these creatures are normally found in deeper water, reaching depths of 500 metres (1,600 feet).
They grow up to 18cm (7 inches) in length and feed on a variety of crustaceans, worms and molluscs, writes Aquarium of Pacific.
They are not normally red and come in shades of brown and green with yellow and orange highlights.
These fish are solitary by nature and normally swim alone, using rocks and seaweed for hiding.
Music: "Spellbound" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Source: Live Science, Daily Mail, Aquarium of Pacific, Twitter
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