In late January, research scientists were off the coast of the Spanish Canary Islands when they came across the exceptionally rare sighting of a small, deep-sea fish; the black seadevil anglerfish. It’s just a fish, so why has the internet been so emotional about it? Well, since this sighting is so rare, it posed the question as to why the fish made the long journey from its home, about 6,500 feet underwater. There are a few theories as to why she surfaced, the main one being that she was old and potentially sick. A few other theories include: eating a fish with a swim bladder, getting trapped in raising warm water caused by undersea volcanoes, or even being spit out by an animal that mistakenly swallowed it.
Before jumping into why I think this angler fish was such an internet sensation, and not just to marine biologists or enthusiasts, I want to share some facts about the anglerfish that could add to the incredible story. First, we know that this anglerfish is a female. Why? Female anglerfish are the ones with the famous bioluminescent lure that they use to attract prey. Also, the males of these anglerfish species (there are over 200 species of anglerfish) are very small, and once the males and females find each other in the darkness, the male will bite the female (oftentimes more than one male will do this to a singular female) and is then fused to the female’s body for life. This ensures that she will always be able to fertilize her eggs for reproduction. The next fact that makes this particular fish’s journey so incredible is that she was only about three inches. Depending on the species, some anglerfish can grow to be four feet long!
So, why do I think this fish captured the heart of the internet? For starters, it’s not everyday news that a fairly elusive (at least to the general public) deep-sea fish travels potentially thousands of feet to the surface of the ocean, let alone with video footage capturing the occurrence. Her size, the drastic pressure change, traditionally being an ambush predator (meaning they stay still waiting to strike), and her actually being alive at the surface is truly amazing. Unfortunately, she passed away not too long after the video footage was taken of her reaching the surface. Her journey inspired a multitude of comics and short poems/sayings to commemorate her journey to reach the light in her final days. She became an inspiration to so many people; a fish destined to live in the darkness managing to reach the light that she didn’t create herself. This small, three-inch fish has been my Roman Empire for the good part of a month, because she really showed that the world is full of wonders and absolutely amazing occurrences.