Researchers have filmed an adorable, previously unknown species of deep-sea snailfish with oversized eyes more than 10,700 feet beneath the ocean surface.
Scientists at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) discovered the super-cute animal using a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) sent 3,268 meters into the Monterey Canyon, just off the coast of California, back in 2019. The footage and images have only now been released.
The ROV captured a small, distinctively pink snailfish, with huge eyes and a tadpole-like body covered in bumps, swimming just above the seafloor. This cute, light-pink fish has the typical features of a snailfish: a large head, soft jelly-like body, and a thin, tapering tail. It was discovered near the seabed, approximately 60 miles from Monterey Bay.
In a paper published in Ichthyology and Herpetology, MBARI and its research collaborators confirmed the fish is a new species, naming it the “bumpy snailfish” (Careproctus colliculi).
It was one of three new snailfish discovered by MBARI on the expedition. The other two were the dark snailfish (Careproctus yanceyi) and the sleek snailfish (Paraliparis em).
The deep sea is the planet’s largest habitat, filled with life forms that remain largely unknown. With climate change and mining threatening these ecosystems, MBARI says documenting the species that live there is more urgent than ever.
“The deep sea is home to an incredible diversity of organisms and a truly beautiful array of adaptations. Our discovery of not one, but three, new species of snailfishes is a reminder of how much we have yet to learn about life on Earth and of the power of curiosity and exploration,” Mackenzie Gerringer, Associate Professor at SUNY Geneseo, says in a press release.
Snailfishes are known for their big heads, gelatinous bodies, and long, thin tails. Many species live in the deep ocean, while shallow-water snailfish are named for their ability to suction onto rocks and curl up like snails.
Image credits: All photos by MBARI 2019.
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