𝗦𝗖𝗜𝗘𝗡𝗖𝗘-𝗧𝗘𝗖𝗛𝗡𝗢𝗟𝗢𝗚𝗬 𝗡𝗘𝗪𝗦: "First-ever sighting of 'Sea Devil' anglerfish in shallow sea" by Marcus Daniel E. Villalobos

Layout by: Gabryael Quijano

Published by: Kristine Joyce Soriano 

Date Published: February 19, 2025

Time Published: 3:22 PM 

A female black "Sea devil" anglerfish, which usually stays in deep-sea levels, was accidentally discovered on Wednesday, February 5, in shallow water by shark researchers in the Canary Islands, Spain.

Humpback Blackdevil Anglerfish or 𝘔𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘵𝘶𝘴 𝘫𝘰𝘩𝘯𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘪 is often seen at 600 to 6,000 feet, where sunlight does not penetrate. It has a short, globular body, long-pointed teeth capable of eating larger prey, and a bulb-like feature on the head.

David Jara Borguña, a marine photographer, took a photo of the fish while at shallow sea on February 5 and described the fish as "historical and an unusual event for few people to observe the fish alive" in his Instagram post.

Condrik Tenerife, a group of non-governmental organization (NGO) researchers, was surprised by the first-ever recorded data of the female Sea Devil in shallow water.

"This could be the first recorded sighting in the world of an adult black devil or abyssal anglerfish 𝘔𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘵𝘶𝘴 𝘫𝘰𝘩𝘯𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘪 alive, in broad daylight and on the surface," the group mentioned.

After a few hours, the Blackdevil Anglerfish died near the surface level of the island. Laia Valor, Marine Biologist, included that the fish was weak during the sighting.

"It was in poor condition and only survived for a few hours. It's an extremely rare and isolated sighting," Valor stated.

Female Blackdevil Anglerfishes are known for their bulb-like feature—𝘥𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘨𝘦 that lights to attract preys and crustaceans. While male Blackdevil Anglerfishes have none of these characteristics and only reach a height of 3 inches.

The Sea devil's presence was still considered a mystery, with researchers stating that it may be due to an illness, an upwelling current, or following a prey.

Scientists will examine the specimen of the mysterious fish at the Museum of Nature and Archaeology.

REFERENCES:

iNaturalist. Humpback Blackdevil. (n.d.)

https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/64212-Melanocetus-johnsonii

Mailap na 'Sea devil' fish, nagpakita sa mga researcher bago namatay. (2025, February 11). 𝘎𝘔𝘈 𝘕𝘦𝘸𝘴.

https://www.gmanetwork.com/.../mailap-na-sea.../story/...

Margolis, A. (2025, February 13). Spooky deep-sea fish rarely seen by humans caught on camera in shallow water: 'Nightmare fuel'. 𝘍𝘖𝘟 𝘕𝘦𝘸𝘴. https://www.foxnews.com/.../spooky-deep-sea-fish-rarely...