Rare super black fish swims at depths of nearly 800 m

US Scientists have captured footage of a super-black anglerfish that absorbs at least 99.5% of light in deep waters off the coast of California.

Scientists from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) discovered an unidentified fish belonging to the genus Oneirodes , order Lophiiformes (angler fish or angler fish), Live Science reported on November 15. They filmed the animal at a depth of 2,500 feet (781 meters) below the surface using a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) in Monterey Canyon, a massive underwater canyon that stretches more than 290 miles (470 kilometers) off the coast of California, USA.

The team stumbled upon the football-sized fish while collecting small, spiny creatures called phaeodarians, which float in the water column and feed on falling organic debris (marine snow). It's the first Oneirodes fish observed in Monterey Canyon since 2016, according to an MBARI statement.

In the video, marine snow floats around the animal, but viewers can barely make out its details beyond the outline of its body. That's because the fish's skin is so dark that it absorbs a lot of light and acts as an invisibility cloak, according to Bruce Robinson, a senior scientist at MBARI.

This fish belongs to a group of “ultra-black” deep-sea creatures that absorb at least 99.5% of the light that hits them. According to a 2020 study in the journal Current Biology , there are 15 other marine species that can absorb such large amounts of light. The study revealed that their skin is packed with melanosomes—cells that contain the pigment melanin, which is what gives human skin its color. The shape and structure of these cells allows them to absorb almost all wavelengths of light that hit the skin.

“The super-black skin completely absorbs any incoming light, including the bright light from the fish’s streetlight-like lure. There is nothing to reflect and give away its location,” explains study co-author Karen Osborn, a zoologist at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History and MBARI. This allows the Oneirodes to hide while lying in wait, using its luminescent fishing rod-like lure to lure in prey.

Their uncanny camouflage also helps them hide from predators. When the MBARI team spotted the Oneirodes , it was using a decoy. But the animal quickly turned off its lights when it realized it was being watched. The scientists determined it was a female based on its size. Female Oneirodes can grow up to 37 centimeters long, while males are only about 1.3 centimeters long.

Thu Thao (According to Live Science )

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