Nature & Environment

Rare black seadevil fish filmed near ocean's surface for the first time

By T.K. Randall
February 11, 2025 ·  2 comments

Imagine running into this while swimming... Image Credit: David Jara Boguna / @jara.natura / TikTok Typically found thousands of feet beneath the surface of the sea, this horrifying fish - which sports a gaping mouth, huge teeth and a glowing appendage designed to lure in unsuspecting prey - has become synonymous with the mysterious, alien-like denizens of the deep ocean.

Just recently, however, one of these creatures was spotted - not in the gloomy depths - but in shallow waters off the coast of Tenerife, Spain where it was captured on camera by marine photographer David Jara Boguna during a pelagic shark research project.

"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!!" he wrote.

"A legendary fish that few people will have had the privilege of observing alive."It isn't clear exactly why the fish had traveled so far from its typical habitat.

One possibility is that it was suffering from some form of illness, while another is that it had been attempting to outrun another, much larger predator.

Either way, it's a very unusual sighting.

You can check out Boguna's footage of the fish below.


Source: Jerusalem Post | Comments (2)

Tags: Devil, Fish, Ocean