Sat Feb 15 05:50:00 UTC 2025: ## Rare Black Seadevil Anglerfish Filmed Alive Near Canary Islands
**Canary Islands, Spain** – A team of researchers has captured unprecedented footage of a living black seadevil anglerfish (Melanocetus johnsonii) near the Canary Islands. This is only the second time the species, known for its bioluminescent lure and terrifying appearance, has been observed alive.
The footage, taken on January 26th, shows the six-inch fish slowly ascending to the ocean’s surface. Marine wildlife photographer David Jara Bogunyà, part of the NGO Condrik Tenerife team aboard the vessel Glaucus, described the encounter as a “dream come true.” The team spent approximately an hour observing and filming the creature before it died. The specimen has since been donated to the Museum of Nature and Archaeology of Tenerife.
The rarity of the sighting has astonished experts. Fish biologist Kory Evans of Rice University initially believed the video was AI-generated, highlighting the extraordinary nature of the event. Bruce Robison, a senior scientist at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, who recorded the only other known footage of a living black seadevil in 2014, noted the unusual proximity to the surface. The deep-sea anglerfish typically inhabits depths between 650 and 6,500 feet.
Scientists are speculating on the reasons for the seadevil’s ascent. Possible explanations include ingesting a fish with a swim bladder causing buoyancy issues, being caught in a rising column of warm water due to volcanic activity in the area, or escaping a larger predator.
Despite its fearsome appearance, the black seadevil, also known as the humpback anglerfish, is relatively small and, according to Evans, mostly “soft and squishy.” The researchers hope that this rare observation will contribute significantly to our understanding of this mysterious deep-sea species and the vast, largely unexplored world beneath the ocean’s surface.
First Piper 