Rare deep-sea anglerfish seen for first time in broad daylight

 Rare deep-sea anglerfish seen for the first time in broad daylight

Off the coast of Tenerife, scientists have discovered a rare humpback anglerfish—a species known to reside in the deep sea's darkness—in what may be the first time this fish has ever been seen in the daylight.

An adult abyssal humpback anglerfish, Melanocetus johnsonii, typically found at depths between 200 and 2,000 meters, was spotted near the surface last week off the coast of Tenerife. This surprising sighting surprised researchers working on a shark research campaign for the non-profit organization Condrik. This may be the first time the species has been sighted in broad daylight; other sightings have only been captured on submarine photos, dead individuals, or larvae.

David Jara Boguñá, an underwater photographer, discovered the unearthly deep-sea fish just 2 kilometers off the coast of Tenerife.

Although the reason for this fish's appearance near the surface has not been established, some scientists hypothesize that during El Niño weather events, which lessen the amount of cold water upwelling off the coast of North America, some individuals of the species occasionally rise to the surface.

We were heading back to port when I noticed something black in the water that didn't appear to be plastic or waste, marine biologist Laia Valor, who was also on the shark expedition, told the EFE news agency. It appeared out of the ordinary. We worked with it for a few hours. It only lived for a few hours due to its poor condition.

She added: “There could be thousands of reasons why it was there.

“We simply don’t know. It is a very uncommon and isolated observation. We cannot claim that it never occurs, but we would witness it more frequently if it were more widespread. This may be the first time it has ever been filmed under these circumstances.

Following the fish's death, the scientists took it to Santa Cruz de Tenerife's Museum of Nature and Archaeology (MUNA), where the body will be examined further to learn more about this elusive species.

To attract and capture prey in the dark environments it inhabits, the humpback anglerfish wears a bioluminescent lure on its head that is packed with bacteria, even though it has a massive mouth full of sharp teeth.