Latest news with #LaiaValor
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Rare Deepsea Fish Captured for First Time Live on Camera
Scientists have captured an extremely rare fish on camera for the first time in broad daylight, Oceanographic Magazine reported. Workers conducting shark research for the NGO Condrik came across a most unexpected site earlier this month when they encountered an adult abyssal humpback anglerfish, known as Melanocetus johnsonii, off the coast of Tenerife. The remarkably rare fish are hardly ever seen, but when they are it is typically at depths between 656 and 6,561 feet. This particular angler fish, however, was seen near the surface, which makes it the first time the species has ever been glimpsed in broad daylight. Sadly, the fish died shortly after it was discovered.'We were returning to port when I saw something black in the water that didn't look like plastic or debris,' Laia Valor, a marine biologist working on the shark expedition, told EFE News Agency. 'It seemed unusual. We spent a couple of hours with it. It was in poor condition and only survived for a few hours.'Photographer David Jara Boguñá was lucky enough to capture the astonishing sight of the living fish in the short time before it perished. Previous images of the species have been obtained only through vague submarine photos, carcasses, or larvae. It's unknown why this anglerfish decided to graze the surface, but the species has been known during El Niño to rise from their depths into the cooler water. 'There could be thousands of reasons why it was there,' Valor explained. 'We simply don't know. It's an extremely rare and isolated sighting. While we can't say it never happens, if it were more common, we would see it more frequently. This could very well be the first time it has ever been filmed in these conditions.'
Yahoo
10-02-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Watch this creepy deep sea creature see the light of day, a first in recorded history
A shark research organization came face to face last week with a deep sea creature who isn't known for seeing the light of day. Condrik Tenerife, a shark and stingray research and conversation organization, spotted a humpback anglerfish off the coast of Tenerife in Spain's Canary Islands last week. Commonly known as the "black sea monster," the anglerfish is typically found at depths of up to 1,500 meters (4,921 feet) below the water's surface, where there is little to no sun. "This could be the first recorded sighting in the world of an adult black devil alive, in broad daylight and on the surface," Condrik Tenerife said in an Instagram post made last week. "This surprising discovery did not leave the crew indifferent and will be remembered forever." The anglerfish was discovered as members of the Condrik Tenerife team were conducting research on pelagic sharks, the organization said in its Instagram post. Marine biologist Laia Valor, who spotted the anglerfish during the trip, said the team spent a couple of hours with the fish before it died, Oceanographic Magazine reported. After, the team took the fish to the Museum of Nature and Archeology in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain, where the body will be studied. Historically, humpback anglerfish have only been spotted close to the water's surface as larvae, dead adult specimen or engravings with submarines, Condrik Tenerife added in its Instagram post. The specific humpback anglerfish spotted by Condrik Tenerife was a female Melanocetus johnsonii, known for its dorsal appendage full of bacteria that illuminates to attract prey, like crustaceans and fish. Only female anglerfish adorn the dorsal appendage, according to Oceana, an ocean conversation organization. Male anglerfish are small − only about one inch − and are not predatory. Once they hatch, male anglerfish spend their entire lives searching for mates. They bite onto larger females and fertilize their eggs via external fertilization, according to Oceana. This behavior is known as sexual parasitism. Greta Cross is a national trending reporter at USA TODAY. Follow her on X and Instagram @gretalcross. Story idea? Email her at gcross@ This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Video shows humpback anglerfish swim toward ocean's surface
Yahoo
09-02-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
This fishy nightmare is a sea biologist's dream (VIDEO)
TENERIFE, Feb 9 — A fish that is normally never seen near the surface of the sea in daylight has gone viral on social media. Marine biologists from the NGO Condrik Tenerife spotted the black devil anglerfish (Melanocetus johnsonii) two kilometres off the coast of Tenerife. Why is it a big deal? The fish typically lives deep under water, at depths of between 200 and 2,000 metres. According to Canarian Weekly, marine biologist Laia Valor had spotted the elusive specimen on January 26, near Playa San Juan, while researching another kind of sea creature — pelagic sharks. Angler Fish spotted swimming vertically to the surface on the coast of TenerifeIt could be the first recorded sighting in the world of a living adult black seadevil or abyssal anglerfish (*Melanocetus johnsonii*) in broad daylight and at the surface! A legendary fish that... — Wars and news (@EUFreeCitizen) February 8, 2025 Valor told the EFE news agency that the sea expedition team had spent a couple of hours with the fish before it had passed on, as it was apparently in poor condition. Previously only dead adults or larvae of the fish had been found near the surface. Valor said that the sighting was 'extremely rare and isolated' and there was no way of knowing how the fish had happened to be spotted well out of its usual territory in the deep sea. The fish's remains have been transported to the Museum of Nature and Archaeology (MUNA) in Santa Cruz de Tenerife where they will be studied. While the fish's visage is slightly terrifying, with sea monster vibes, videos of the fish have been widely shared online, likely due to the unusual angle of the fish's swimming where it has been swimming upwards, vertically. An artist on X, @sanstire paid tribute to the dying anglerfish online with an image with the caption: "she never knew..." R.I.P Icarus — sanstitre (commissions closed) (@sanstitre2000) February 8, 2025 Another drawing by artist Harris more known by his alias Beetle Moses of a dying angler fish has also been shared online in response to the fish's appearance. why am i bawling my eyes out over an anglerfish — shanviii (@conclushan) February 8, 2025 this anglerfish swam to the surface before passing away and I want to believe it's so he could see the sunshine because my god that's beautiful — Sarah Everett (@goddammitsarah) February 8, 2025 I love that, today, everyone on Twitter is emotional for an Anglerfish. This is the second time, even. Please let's cherish Anglerfishes more. — { Spookyonyx} (@MbvBaryonix) February 9, 2025
