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 during a Shark Research Campaign of the NGO Condrik.
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”Condrik Tenerife said.
Previous sightings of the "black demon" have been limited to larvae, deceased specimens, or submarine images.