A creature from the ocean’s dark depths made the trek to the water’s surface.
A rare humpback anglerfish — also known as the Melanocetus johnsonii species of black seadevil — was filmed last week rising to the surface of the ocean in what experts say may be the first live sighting of the deep-sea creature in broad daylight.
Condrik Tenerife researchers and photographer David Jara Boguñá shared a clip of the anglerfish in a joint Instagram post last week. The footage shows the large-mouthed, many-toothed fish swimming toward daylight off the coast of the Spanish island of Tenerife.
Researchers were on site for a Condrik Tenerife shark research project, per Oceanographic Magazine. They got more than they bargained for when they spotted the elusive anglerfish, which usually lives between 200 and 2,000 meters under the sea.
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Fittingly, the Instagram video featuring the spooky-looking fish was soundtracked with Phantom of the Opera’s “Overture.”
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“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!! 😱,” Boguñá wrote in a since-translated caption. “A legendary fish that few people will have had the privilege of observing alive.”
“The motive for its presence in such shallow waters is uncertain,” he added. “Maybe due to illness, an upstream, fleeing a predator, etc… This surprising find left the crew indifferent and will be remembered forever.”
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As Oceanographic reports, past sightings of the fish have included images taken via submarine or pictures of the fish washed up dead. Disney fans, however, may already be familiar with the anglerfish due to its appearance in 2003’s Finding Nemo, in which the creature attempted to chase down Marlin and Dory while in the depths of the ocean.
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“We were returning to port when I saw something black in the water that didn’t look like plastic or debris,” Marine biologist Laia Valor told the EFE news agency, per Oceanographic. “It seemed unusual. We spent a couple of hours with it. It was in poor condition and only survived for a few hours.”
The fish’s body is now at the Museum of Nature and Archaeology in Santa Cruz de Tenerife for research. Valor explained that there could be “thousands of reasons” why the fish rose to the surface.
“We simply don’t know,” she said.
“It’s an extremely rare and isolated sighting. While we can’t say it never happens, if it were more common, we would see it more frequently. This could very well be the first time it has ever been filmed in these conditions.”
