The deepest reaches of the ocean contain some of earth’s most amazing creatures, and many of those live right here in our own backyard in California waters.
On Monday, Nov. 17, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) Senior Scientist Bruce Robison and his team filmed an animal that has been only filmed a few times in history – the “black seadevil” anglerfish. The elusive fish was found 1,900 feet deep in the Monterey Canyon and filmed with an ROV-mounted camera.
“This is the first time we’ve captured this fish on video in its habitat,” Robinson said. “Anglerfish, like this Melanocetus, are among the most rarely seen of all deep-sea fishes.”
Female anglerfish have a unique “fishing pole” on their heads,complete with a light tip on the end, to lure prey (males do not have one). The female seen on video is about 9 centimeters long, and males are even smaller. They have tiny eyes and can’t see well in the pitch black of Monterey Canyon, and largely rely on feelers on their bodies to sense their environment. With highly flexible stomachs, Anglerfish can also swallow prey larger than themselves.
To read more about MBARI’s research and discoveries, check out their website here.