With a large, black body and a mouth full of fangs, it’s no wonder this fish is known as the ‘black demon’.
Now, scientists have spotted the nightmarish fish in broad daylight for the very first time.
Black demon fish (Melanocetus johnsonii) are usually only found on the seabed, at depths of between 200 and 2,000 metres.
But scientists exploring the waters off the coast of Tenerife were in for a surprise, after spotting a creature at the surface for the first time.
David Jara Boguna, a scientist with Condrik Tenerife, posted a video of the fish on Instagram.
‘This could be the first recorded sighting in the world of a black demon or adult abyssal (Melanocetus johnsonii) alive, in broad daylight and on the surface!!’ he wrote.
‘A legendary fish that few people will have had the privilege of observing alive.’
The footage has garnered huge interest across social media, with one viewer joking: ‘Did he lose his son like nemo?’
Black demon fish (Melanocetus johnsonii) are usually only found on the seabed, at depths of between 200 and 2,000 metres. But scientists exploring the waters off the coast of Tenerife were in for a surprise, after spotting a creature at the surface for the first time
The humpback anglerfish (Melanocetus johnsonii) is a species of black seadevil in the family of Melanocetidae, which means ‘black whale’ in Greek.
The species has a dark brown or black body, and a large mouth that’s nearly vertical – with long pointed teeth.
Given its menacing appearance, it probably comes as no surprise that the species is capable of eating prey even larger then itself.
Usually, the species lives in the meopelagic and bathypelagic zones, at depths of between 200 and 2,000 metres.
‘It is a true predator of the depths, which lives in the seabed between 200 and 2000m deep,’ Mr Boguna wrote on Instagram.
‘[It] uses its dorsal appendix filled with symbiotic bioluminescent bacteria as bait to lure its prey, in the same way as in the popular movie Finding Nemo.’
The researchers spotted the fish at the surface during an expedition off the coast of Tenerife last week.
‘Emerging from the abyssal depths in vertical swimming, off just 2 km from the coast of Tenerife and during one of our pelagic shark research campaigns, @laiavlr spotted this creature on the surface,’ Mr Boguna wrote.
The species has a dark brown or black body, and a large mouth that’s nearly vertical – with long pointed teeth
‘Following up, @vidamarina.tenerife , @sabu726 , and @jara.natura recorded spectacular and unusual images of the animal.’
How and why the fish was at the surface remains unclear.
‘The motive for its presence in such shallow waters is uncertain,’ the scientist added.
‘Maybe due to illness, an upstream, fleeing a predator, etc.’
So far, the video has been shared over 7,000 times, and has garnered more than 436,000 likes.
Taking to the comments, one user wrote: ‘Maybe the fish was running from something, something that happened down there.’
Another added: ‘Creatures from the depths are starting to surface and something is pushing them to appear and it’s disturbing.’
And one joked: ‘That is definitely a face only a mother could love!!’
