Amazing underwater 'crop circles' spun by Japanese puffer fish

mnn.com 25 Sep '12, 3pm

Amazing underwater 'crop circles' spun by Japanese puffer fish

Underwater photographer Yoji Ookata has spent 50 years exploring the ocean depths, but the sight of massive underwater patterns resembling the crop circles celebrated by UFO enthusiasts still surprised him. The "mystery circle" as he called it was more than six feet in diameter and contained intricate patterns of ridges and radiating out from the center. What on earth could have created these amazing structures located 80 feet below the surface of the ocean? Ookata returned to the depths with a TV crew to find out. As revealed last week in a Japanese television special entitled "The Discovery of the Century: Deep Sea Mystery Circle," the patterns were not caused by aliens or underwater currents but by a tiny puffer fish. Puffer fish are valued in Japan as a delicacy known as sashimi chiri , which can cause mild intoxication or, in rare cases, death due to an incredibly pow...

Full article: http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/animals/stories/amazing-...

Tweets

@YogaChicky » 01 Oct '12, 9pm
Teensy wee fish makes underwater crop circles! [link]
@martha_gary » 28 Sep '12, 3pm
RT @kathrina429: RT @kathrina429: Amazing underwater 'crop circles' spun by Japanese puffer fish [link]
@ChicagoPrairie » 27 Sep '12, 5pm
RT @TerracomChicago: Amazing underwater 'crop circles' spun by Japanese puffer fish. [link] MT @JerryJamesStone #marinelife #art #nature
@TerracomChicago » 27 Sep '12, 4pm
Amazing underwater 'crop circles' spun by Japanese puffer fish. [link] MT @JerryJamesStone #marinelife #art #nature
@Mangojess » 27 Sep '12, 4pm
RT @jerryjamesstone: Amazing underwater 'crop circles' spun by Japanese puffer fish [link] [link]
@RiverOtterPost » 27 Sep '12, 3pm
During #SeaOtter Awareness Week, let's dive deep to see amazing underwater 'crop circles' spun by Japanese puffer fish [link]
@oceansresearch » 27 Sep '12, 3pm
Japanese puffer fish spin amazing underwater 'crop circles' [link]
@_SimplyAwesome » 27 Sep '12, 2pm
[link] Very interesting.
@babaadventures » 27 Sep '12, 11am
let's talk about sex. good mo'mo '[link] …
@nickya73 » 27 Sep '12, 10am
RT @trishief: “@Varvera: Amazing underwater 'crop circles' spun by Japanese puffer fish [link] @caitlingooden
@ColPercyFawcett » 27 Sep '12, 8am
Wow, very cool! RT @ARKive Apparently #Japanese #pufferfish like to play in the sand [link] Check this out! #fish
@trishief » 27 Sep '12, 8am
“@Varvera: Amazing underwater 'crop circles' spun by Japanese puffer fish [link] @caitlingooden
@Varvera » 27 Sep '12, 8am
Amazing underwater 'crop circles' spun by Japanese puffer fish [link] #ocean #fish #nature #environment
@3jin4 » 27 Sep '12, 3am
RT @ARKive: Apparently #Japanese pufferfish like to play in the sand [link] Check this out!
@ARKive » 27 Sep '12, 12am
Apparently #Japanese pufferfish like to play in the sand [link] Check this out!
@JessHullinger » 26 Sep '12, 9pm
Nature is the best. Look at these underwater sand designs spun by Japanese puffer fish: [link]
@MisterBrendan » 26 Sep '12, 7pm
Puffer fish are that jackass from college who flaunted his guitar. Eat all puffer fish. [link]
@EarthShareTexas » 26 Sep '12, 6pm
Puffer fish crop circles...who knew? [link]
@coastalwetlands » 26 Sep '12, 4pm
RT @OceanChampions: Beautiful and surprising: Japn. Puffer fish leave intricate "crop circles" in the ocean floor: [link] ...
@OceanExplorium » 26 Sep '12, 1pm
Japanese pufferfish create #cropcircles on the ocean floor -- wait, what?! [link]
@Antihippy » 26 Sep '12, 11am
Now we know who created all those crop circles... puffer fish! [link] #clearlyaliens
@ElizaWindso » 26 Sep '12, 6am
@williambanzai7 Underwater Japanese crop circle. [link]
@JohnGarn1 » 26 Sep '12, 3am
Underwater crop circles by Japanese Puffer fish [link] #fish #oceans #cropcircles #nature #photography #nature
@jezebill » 26 Sep '12, 3am
RT @pourmecoffee: Incredibly impressed by effort male puffer fish put into getting laid. [link] / Reckon he used a pump?
@musicaltypist » 26 Sep '12, 3am
This beautiful courtship is a nice break from politics. [link]
@KateHudkins » 26 Sep '12, 2am
“@pourmecoffee: Incredibly impressed by effort male puffer fish put into getting laid. [link]” The gauntlet has been thrown.
@GroenWerkt » 26 Sep '12, 2am
#mnn Amazing underwater 'crop circles' spun by Japanese puffer fish #mlfeeds: The intricate patterns are beautif... [link]
@marisagettas » 26 Sep '12, 2am
Go pufferfish! “@MattNorlander: Underwater crop circles are so cool. #oceansFTW [link] (via @pourmecoffee)”
@essenceless » 26 Sep '12, 2am
One mystery of the hidden depths, revealed! - [link]
@BenAllain » 26 Sep '12, 2am
RT @MattNorlander: Underwater crop circles are so cool. #oceansFTW [link] (via @pourmecoffee)
@MattNorlander » 26 Sep '12, 2am
Underwater crop circles are so cool. #oceansFTW [link] (via @pourmecoffee)
@lilennox » 26 Sep '12, 1am
Fixed your tweet. MT @pourmecoffee: Incredibly impressed by effort male [any species ever] put into getting laid. [link]”
@NotMattBellamy » 26 Sep '12, 1am
Puffer fish make intricate circular patterns of sand and shell fragments to attract mates: [link] [h/t @pourmecoffee]
@nolenje » 26 Sep '12, 1am
Impressive. Wow.RT @pourmecoffee Incredibly impressed by effort male puffer fish put into getting laid. [link]
@tluciv » 26 Sep '12, 1am
“@pourmecoffee: Incredibly impressed by effort male puffer fish put into getting laid. [link]” Beautiful and fascinating.
@hafsahsyed » 26 Sep '12, 1am
#Science & #Sex RT @pourmecoffee Incredibly impressed by effort male puffer fish put into getting laid [link]
@gw175 » 26 Sep '12, 12am
“@pourmecoffee: Incredibly impressed by effort male puffer fish put into getting laid. [link]” // this is too good.
@lizbein » 26 Sep '12, 12am
“@pourmecoffee: Incredibly impressed by effort male puffer fish put into getting laid. [link]” nature is awesome
@pourmecoffee » 26 Sep '12, 12am
Incredibly impressed by effort male puffer fish put into getting laid. [link]
@DukeOfVinings » 26 Sep '12, 12am
RT @kendallgrey1: Coolest shit ever!-->Amazing underwater 'crop circles' spun by Japanese puffer fish [link]
@kendallgrey1 » 26 Sep '12, 12am
Coolest shit ever!-->Amazing underwater 'crop circles' spun by Japanese puffer fish [link]
@findiviglio » 25 Sep '12, 10pm
RT @EarthBlog: VIDEO: Amazing underwater 'Crop Circles' spun by Japanese puffer fish [link]
@earthblog » 25 Sep '12, 10pm
VIDEO: Amazing underwater 'Crop Circles' spun by Japanese puffer fish [link]
@marinexplore » 25 Sep '12, 6pm
Amazing underwater seabed patterns spun by Japanese puffer fish [link]
@braden_haggerty » 25 Sep '12, 6pm
Mystery of underwater crop circles solved. Underwater photographer Yoji Ookata finds puffer fish! via @SeafoodWatch [link]
@LivesInThought » 25 Sep '12, 5pm
Amazing underwater 'crop circles' spun by Japanese puffer fish [link] Perhaps its just underwater UFOs. lol
@VancouverAqua » 25 Sep '12, 5pm
Neat. RT @seafoodwatch: Beautiful and surprising: Japn. Puffer fish leave intricate "crop circles" in the ocean floor: [link]
@GodGirlGail » 25 Sep '12, 6pm
Amazing underwater 'crop circles' spun by Japanese puffer fish [link]
@daubie99 » 25 Sep '12, 6pm
[link]
@brklynreader » 25 Sep '12, 5pm
[link]