By Tim Binnall
Marine biologists recently captured incredibly rare footage of a monstrous-looking fish dubbed the 'black demon' of the deep. The jaw-dropping encounter reportedly occurred last week as the conservation group Condrik Tenerif was studying sharks off the coast of Tenerife in Spain's Canary Islands. Their expedition took a surprising turn when they spotted a humpback anglerfish, which normally resides at depths of around 5,000 feet. Sharing the footage on social media, the group marveled that "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!"
They subsequently explained that the unsightly creature, which uses a glowing appendage to navigate the darkness of the deep sea, is a "legendary fish that few people will have had the privilege of observing alive." To that end, they noted that previous encounters with the 'black demon' have largely been comprised of "larvae, dead adult specimens" or instances wherein the animal was "recorded with submarines." Alas, the sighting of a living anglerfish was somewhat fleeting as it was heading towards the surface because it was dying. After observing the creature's final hours, the researchers recovered its remains for future study.