kristine o'keeffe, Red HandFish (ANIMAL 2021)

Red Handfish (Thymichthys politus) are currently known from only two small small patches of reef in south-eastern Tasmania, and are classified as critiically endangered. They vary in colur from bright-red to light pink/ brown and are typically less than 10cm in length. In late 2019 I had the good fortune of being able to participate in a citizen science capacity to help search for the species in an attempt to estimate their population size. If a fish could do make-up the Red HandFish would be the perfect glamorous fish model with it's often brightly colored fish lips and pectoral and dorsal fins. They are truly a gift of nature that hopefully current efforts at preserving their species will win through.

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.