A deep-sea anglerfish was recently caught on camera in a rare moment, delighting social media users while scaring others.
Condrik Tenerife, a Spanish conservation organization, and marine photographer David Jara Borguña, shared footage of the unusual fish in a Feb. 5 Instagram post. The post described the prehistoric sea creature as “a legendary fish that few people have had the privilege of observing alive.”
“Apparently, the existing records to date correspond to larvae, dead adult specimens, or recordings made with submarines,” the post, which was translated from Spanish, read.
Video shows the remarkable and menacing-looking fish swimming out of its deep-sea depths in light-filled water, allowing it to be stunningly observed outside its pitch-black habitat.
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“It is a true predator of the depths, inhabiting the seabed between [600 and 6,000 feet] deep, and uses its dorsal appendage filled with bioluminescent symbiotic bacteria as bait to attract its prey, just like in the popular movie ‘Finding Nemo,'” the post read.
The post noted that the fish was seen swimming vertically less than a mile off the coast of Tenerife, the largest of Spain’s Canary Islands. The Spanish researchers caught a glimpse of the spooky sea creature while looking for sharks.
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It is unknown if the fish lived for much longer after the images were taken.
“The reason for its presence in such shallow waters is uncertain. It could be due to illness, an upwelling current, fleeing from a predator, etc.,” the post explained.
“This surprising discovery did not leave the crew indifferent and will be remembered forever,” researchers added.
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The images left a mark on social media as well, as the post racked up nearly half a million likes on Instagram. Many of the users called the fish “nightmare fuel” in the comments section.
“Who let my sister out?” one commentator joked.
“Looks like he went up for a chicken sandwich and a coke,” another said in Spanish.
Others viewed the video with solemnity, with some pitying the fish and others wondering if it posed an ominous message.
“The only thing that matters: is it dangerous for humans?” an Instagram user wrote.
“That’s not good. I hope it’s not a harbinger of an earthquake,” another worried.
“Is there something strange down there for him to come up like that?” a third user speculated.
“Absolutely amazing! But I’m sorry for him,” another commentator said.
It is rare for fish who live so deep in the ocean to wash up or be seen in shallow waters.
Last year, an anglerfish washed up on an Oregon beach for the first time in recorded history, surprising marine experts who believe that it originally lived 3,000 feet underwater.
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