Latest news with #Melanocetusjohnsonii
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Black Seadevil Anglerfish Captures Hearts Nationwide: ‘A Dream Come True'
On January 26, 2025, scientists worldwide were shocked to learn that a black seadevil anglerfish (Melanocetus johnsonii) had ventured from the ocean's dark depths to the surface near the San Juan beach off the coast of the Guía de Isora, Canary Islands. This marks the second time in history that this type of fish has ever been documented on camera. 'When I first saw the video, I honestly didn't believe what I was seeing,' Kory Evans, a fish biologist at Rice University, told National Geographic. 'I thought it was A.I.' Following the swim, the black seadevil anglerfish passed away from the extreme change in pressure and its previous injuries sustained during the journey. It is now housed at the Museum of Nature and Archaeology in Santa Cruz, Tenerife. 'It was like a dream come true,' says David Jara Bogunyà, a marine wildlife photographer with the NGO Condrik Tenerife who helped capture the footage, told National Geographic. 'When I was a kid, I had a book with some deep-sea creatures, and I loved the illustrations. They were crazy to me. The animals didn't look real.' Still, their story has since gone viral on all social media platforms, with people posting videos of the fish's journey and captioning it things like 'This poor fish is just spending her literal last seconds trying to do something beautiful.' Read on to discover everything you need to know about the fish, including why it went to the surface in the first place! The black seadevil anglerfish is a deep sea fish best known for its sharp teeth and 'fishing pole,' which serve as its light source in the ocean's dark depths. They mainly feed on crustaceans—crabs, lobsters, shrimp, etc.—and are believed to be 'soft and squishy,' according to Evans. 'They are ambush predators…They kind of sit there, bobbing around, so seeing this one doing something active is kind of shocking,' he added. 'Their whole deal is not moving.' Because of their hatred for moving, many scientists and civilians are wondering why the seadevil—whose scientific name Melanocetus johnsonii translates to 'black whale'—traveled to the surface in the first place. 'A lot of things could be going on,' Ben Frable, the senior collection manager of marine vertebrates at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in Southern California, told The New York Times. 'The animal could have been in distress, or worked its way into shallow water accidentally, or was being pursued by a predator.' As of publication, scientists still don't know the real reason the fish chose to come to the surface from the deep sea, but maybe he just needed a break from producing their own light and being surrounded by never-ending darkness. 'The deep ocean habitat is the largest living space on Earth, and it's home to most of the animals that live on this planet. We are exceptions,' Bruce Robison, a senior scientist at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, told National Geographic. 'We know so little about what's down deep.' Robison was the first scientist to record a video of black seadevil anglerfish in 2014—which he did by sending a remote camera 1,900 feet deep in the ocean. Despite it only being the second time the black seadevil anglerfish has been caught on camera, 'They've been captured in nets going back to the 19th century,' according to Robison. 'These animals have been known for a very long time.' The one discovered off the coast of the Spanish Canary Islands was a female and was about six inches tall, which is pretty common for the species since they are believed to have their female offspring be the bigger, bolder and more ferocious gender. As of publication, details on how old she was remain unclear, but scientists are avidly working to learn more about her identity, life, and why she looks the way she looks. 'They live in a very different environment; they're going to look weird,' Frable told The New York Times. But they are not gruesome or horrific.' 'People don't see them as valuable to protect, as a panda bear.' There are believed to be around 200 different species of anglerfish, all of which live in the deep sea and are rarely seen near the surface. For more trending news, keep scrolling! Westminster's Best in Show Winner Is a Giant Schnauzer! Learn More About This Majestic Breed Groundhog Day 2025: PETA Suggests Predicting the Weather With a Color-Reveal Vegan Cake Instead Bill Nye Walks in Fashion Show To Raise Money for Prostate Cancer—See the Viral Runway Photos!
Express Tribune
17-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Rare black seadevil sighting near surface sparks wholesome social media buzz
Listen to article A team of researchers in the Canary Islands has captured rare footage of a black seadevil anglerfish (Melanocetus johnsonii) swimming near the ocean's surface, a sighting that has only been recorded once before. The footage, filmed by wildlife photographer David Jara aboard the research vessel Glaucus, has stunned marine biologists—and sent social media into a frenzy. As the deep-sea predator, typically found at depths of 200 to 2,000 meters, swam unexpectedly close to the surface, the internet exploded with reactions ranging from pure fascination to playful curiosity, social media reactions were surprisingly wholesome. Instead of fear, many users expressed wonder and admiration, creating wholsome comics and sharing it online Some users even took a creative spin on the sighting, reimagining the anglerfish as a Disney character, complete with adorable animations and whimsical backstories. Edits of the deep-sea creature with big expressive eyes and a glowing "magic wand" lure quickly went viral, with fans joking that it deserved its own animated movie. Some users found themselves unexpectedly emotional over the sighting, expressing deep empathy for the anglerfish. Many saw it as a lonely explorer from the deep. Photo: @kristilynn11 on X Photo: @LorcansShirt on X Some users even defended the anglerfish, playfully insisting that it was "just a girl" trying to navigate an unfamiliar environment. Photo: @Maddie_Jones515 on X Users were also surprised to learn that the anglerfish was much smaller than they had imagined, with many expecting it to be a massive deep-sea predator rather than just 15 centimeters long. Photo: @ramymoreau on X while some did not Photo: @PallaviGunalan on X In the end, what started as a rare scientific discovery turned into an unexpectedly wholesome internet moment. Whether they were awed, emotional, or playfully defending the anglerfish, social media users found a way to turn this deep-sea encounter into something charming and relatable. Photo: @CassandraRules on X From calling it 'just a girl' to imagining it as a Disney character, the black seadevil went from a mysterious deep-sea predator to an unlikely internet sweetheart—a reminder that even the most unusual creatures can find a place in people's hearts.
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
The Independent
08-02-2025
- Science
- The Independent
Is this the first ever recorded sighting of ‘black demon' fish in broad daylight?
Researchers believe they've recorded potentially the first-ever sighting of an adult abyssal fish, Melanocetus johnsonii, in broad daylight. Normally found at depths between 200 and 2,000 meters, this predator was spotted just 2 kilometres off the coast of Tenerife by Marine Photographer David Jara Boguñá. It's unclear why this deep-sea dweller, known for using its bacteria-laden dorsal appendage as bait, ventured into shallow waters. 'Maybe due to illness, an upstream, fleeing a predator, etc' NGO Condrik Tenerife, which focuses on the research and preservation of sharks and rays in the Canary Islands said. Previous sightings of the "black demon" have been limited to larvae, deceased specimens, or submarine images.
