Black Sea devil's rare surface appearance stuns scientists
This legendary creature, widely known in popular culture, was seldom seen alive. It's no wonder its appearance off the coast of Tenerife caused such a stir. A video featuring the black sea devil is taking the internet by storm.
Previous records mainly concern larvae, deceased adults, or observations made from submarines during scientific explorations of deep waters.
This time, Melanocetus, commonly known as the black sea devil, appeared in all its glory. The footage is simply breathtaking.
One might say it's so frightening that it's almost beautiful. Observers were "charmed," writes the portal Tenerifeweekly.
The discovery is groundbreaking because a living specimen of this species has been observed so close to the ocean surface for the first time in history.
As noted by the portal Marca.com, this deep-sea species is usually found at depths from 200 to 2,000 metres. This time, the fish was swimming about 1.6 kilometres from San Juan Beach, and it "revealed itself" on January 26, 2025, at 2:00 p.m.
Scientists in shock
This unprecedented event caused a wave of excitement in the scientific community. The observation is particularly significant because of the location, adding a new chapter to our knowledge of marine life in the waters around Tenerife.
Laia Valor, a marine biologist from the NGO Condrik-Tenerife, was on a shark research expedition when she made the extraordinary observation. On the way back to the port, she noticed an unusual black object that did not resemble plastic. Upon closer inspection, she realized it was a Black Devil fish, a species never before seen alive at such shallow depths off the coast of Tenerife. The team spent several hours observing the fish, which unfortunately was already injured and survived only a few hours.
Experts speculate that disease, strong currents, or predator pursuit may have played a role in its emergence. Regardless of the cause, this event provides valuable information about the behaviour and biology of this elusive species in this particular geographical area.
Source: Tenerifeweekly/Marca.com/WP
