If you have watched Finding Nemo and remember that fish in the depth of the sea; scary, big mouth with sharp teeth, and it's fishing pole with a luminous lure at the tip? Then, you know what a Black Seadevil Anglerfish is.
Seeing this fish feels like you're having a nightmare, but, for scientists, it's actually a dream come true.
The video above shows a Black Seadevil, a weird type of anglerfish that's has been only caught on camera or tape only about half a dozen times. The original clip from Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute is believed to be the first ever video that shows this scary fish seen alive and at the depth of the sea.
The video was taken recently in Monterey Canyon in California's Monterey Bay by submersible vehicle Doc Ricketts which is remotely operated.
Seeing this fish feels like you're having a nightmare, but, for scientists, it's actually a dream come true.
The video was taken recently in Monterey Canyon in California's Monterey Bay by submersible vehicle Doc Ricketts which is remotely operated.
"We've been diving out here in the Monterey Canyon regularly for 25 years, and we've seen three," MBARI Senior Scientist Bruce Robison told the Santa Cruz Sentinel.
Anglers have a remarkable apparatus on their heads: a fishing pole, with a luminous lure at the tip, which they use to attract their prey. In the darkness of deep water, they flash the light to attract prey and draw them near the angler's mouth. When a fish or a squid swims up, it is quickly inhaled by the angler's huge mouth and trapped by its long, sharp teeth.
This scary black seadevil anglerfish seems big, although it only sizes at just about 3.5 inches long.
The video clip was filmed at an amazing depth of more than 1,900 feet and shows a female black seadevil anglerfish with a broken tooth.
Fun fact: Males black seadevil anglerfish are smaller and don't have the fishing pole attachment.
"Males are ill-equipped for feeding, and their sole responsibility appears to be to find a female and mate with her as soon as possible," Robison says in the video.
When he finds one, "the male bites into the body of the female, their tissues fuse. The male's body degenerates until it's a lump of tissue surrounding testicles," Robison told KSBW, the local NBC affiliate. The female will then carry the male around for the rest of her life, and collect more along the way.
He told the station he's seen 11 males attached to a single female.
"The deep sea is filled with surprises and wonderful creatures," Robison says in the video. "Humans have only just begun to explore this vast realm, and we can only imagine what discoveries are yet to be made."
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