"Black sea devil" anglerfish observed in Monterey Bay. Image: Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute.
The Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute says it has captured rare footage of a fish not known for good looks.
Fewer than six Black Seadevils, also known as deep-sea anglerfish, have been shown on film or video. They were recorded by deep-diving research vehicles, according to the research institute in Moss Landing, California. The institute has posted video of the Black Seadevil in its natural habitat -- possibly the first footage of the species alive and at its natural depth.
Researchers say the apparatus on the Seadevil's head (they call it a "fishing pole") is used to attract other fish the creature wishes to eat.
The anglerfish in this video is 9 centimeters long --about 3.5 inches. It lives in the deep dark waters of the Monterey Canyon. The research institute's unmanned submersible, Doc Ricketts, observed the fish for the first time at 600 meters, about 1,900 feet below the ocean's surface, during a midwater research expedition in November.
Fewer than six Black Seadevils, also known as deep-sea anglerfish, have been shown on film or video. They were recorded by deep-diving research vehicles, according to the research institute in Moss Landing, California. The institute has posted video of the Black Seadevil in its natural habitat -- possibly the first footage of the species alive and at its natural depth.
Researchers say the apparatus on the Seadevil's head (they call it a "fishing pole") is used to attract other fish the creature wishes to eat.
The anglerfish in this video is 9 centimeters long --about 3.5 inches. It lives in the deep dark waters of the Monterey Canyon. The research institute's unmanned submersible, Doc Ricketts, observed the fish for the first time at 600 meters, about 1,900 feet below the ocean's surface, during a midwater research expedition in November.
This report was compiled with information from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute.
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