00:00A Port Stephens-based research scientist discovered a new marine species that bears an odd resemblance to a Sesame Street
00:07character.
00:08Dr David Harasti first encountered the odd-looking shaggy creature while diving in Papua New Guinea in 2001.
00:16Over the decades since, Dr Harasti searched for any similar species that would be able to help him identify the
00:23colourful creature.
00:24It turned out to be a completely new species of marine animal.
00:28Now named the Hairy Ghost Pipefish or Selenostomus snuffalupagus for its visual similarities to the Sesame Street character snuffalupagus or
00:40snuffy as he's often called.
00:42Oh hello bird.
00:45Hello snuffy. Say hello.
00:47When I first saw this Hairy Ghost Pipefish and I looked at the photos, it instantly reminded me of Sesame
00:52Street's favourite character, Mr Snuffalupagus.
00:55All the orange fur and the hair all over it, the big long trunk. It really reminded me straight away
01:01of Big Bird's friend.
01:03So I've always, for the last 25 years, wanted to find this species so we could name it after Mr
01:09Snuffalupagus from Sesame Street.
01:10So finding it and being able to collect it, that gave us the incentive to do it.
01:14We contacted Sesame Street and they were kind enough and very excited to allow it to name it after Mr
01:21Snuffalupagus, which is, you know, a pretty cool thing.
01:24The Snuffalupagus is the shaggiest of all ghost pipefish species and is believed to use its appearance to camouflage into
01:32red algae.
01:33Its ability to blend into its background explains why it went unnoticed for so long, despite having been observed by
01:41divers for decades, especially in Australia, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, New Caledonia and Tonga.
01:48The Mr Snuffalupagus ghost pipefish is so rare and so elusive.
01:52It took me 25 years, you know, from start to finish to get it named.
01:56That rarity is what makes this creature so special.
01:59Not many people on the planet have seen it underwater and now we've got the photos of it and we've
02:04got the new species described.
02:05I'm hoping many more others will go out there and find it themselves.
Comments