Video: Black Seadevil, A Rare Deep-Sea Fish, Spotted Swimming Near Ocean's Surface

In what may be the world's first-ever recorded sighting, a black seadevil anglerfish - known for living thousands of feet beneath the ocean's surface - was caught on camera swimming close to the ocean's surface. According to the New York Times, the deepsea fish, with its mouthful of sharp teeth, was spotted near the surface of the water near the Canary Islands off the coast of Africa earlier this month. The discovery was made by Spanish NGO Condrik Tenerife and marine life photographer David Jara Boguna while they were researching sharks. 

A video shared on Instagram showed the female fish, whose Latin name translates to "black sea monster," swimming through the light-filled ocean waters off the coast of Tenerife. "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!!" the caption of the post read. 

Take a look at the video below: 

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A post shared by David Jara Boguñá 🐬 (@jara.natura)

It is unclear why the black seadevil anglerfish was swimming in shallow waters, but the team that spotted the creature suspected it may have been ill or escaping a predator. According to the New York Times, it died shortly after the footage was taken, however, experts say that seeing it alive even briefly was a huge opportunity as the scary-looking fish typically swims between 650 and 6,500 feet below the ocean's surface. 

"To date, records have mostly consisted of larvae, dead adults, or specimens spotted by submarines during deep-sea scientific expeditions," Condrik Tenerife wrote online, underscoring how rare this sighting was.

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This fish with "devil" in its name is black as the depths in which it normally lives. Its teeth look like razors. Female black seadevils, such as the one that was documented, attract prey with a fishing rod-like structure on their head that has a tip that lights up in the dark. As demonstrated in the Disney film "Finding Nemo," prey are attracted to the light, and when they get close, the anglerfish can eat them.

According to the Australian Museum, female black seadevil anglerfish are the more powerful of the sexes in this species, growing far larger than their male counterparts. They can grow up to 7 inches and take on the more iconic look with a large head with pointed teeth and the bioluminescent lure, while the males only grow to be about an inch long and lack a lure.

The Spanish NGO Condrik Tenerife credited Laia Valor, a marine biologist, with the discovery. It reportedly said that its team had observed the fish for several hours, however, it added that the fish, which lives in deep below the ocean's surface, was already injured and did not survive.