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.
