Not content to flatten farmers’ fields, those dastardly mystery crop circle makers seem to have gone aquatic, judging by the image above. Photographer Yoji Ookata discovered the mysterious, beautiful underwater mandalas off the southern coast of Japan, some 80 feet below ocean surface.
But upon further investigation, Ookatat discovered the humble artists who created the “mystery circle”:
Using underwater cameras the team discovered the artist is a small puffer fish only a few inches in length that swims tirelessly through the day and night to create these vast organic sculptures using the gesture of a single fin. Through careful observation the team found the circles serve a variety of crucial ecological functions, the most important of which is to attract mates. Apparently the female fish are attracted to the hills and valleys within the sand and traverse them carefully to discover the male fish where the pair eventually lay eggs at the circle’s center, the grooves later acting as a natural buffer to ocean currents that protect the delicate offspring. Scientists also learned that the more ridges contained within the sculpture resulted in a much greater likelihood of the fish pairing.
More details and photos at Colossal.
(via @GrailSeeker)
