Nightmarish ‘black seadevil’ spotted by scientists swimming in shallow waters

A very rare fish sighting is making a splash on social media.

A deep-sea anglerfish, 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 videos and pictures were taken by Condrik Tenerife a Spanish NGO that researches sharks and rays in the Canary Islands and marine photographer David Jara Borguña.

According to the organization, the fish is a so-called “black seadevil” known by its scientific name Melanocetus johnsonii. They typically swim between 650 and 6,500 feet below the ocean’s surface.

This range is known as the Bathypelagic Zone or midnight zone. According to the NOAA, the temperature there remains constant – around 39 degrees – because sunlight is unable to penetrate water at that depth.

Water pressure can climb over 5,850 pounds per square inch.

The research team said there have been very few sightings of this kind of fish, and they aren’t sure why she was so far from the depths of the ocean.

Only female deep-sea anglerfish have the characteristic lure on the front of their face, according to the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History.

According to the museum, the bioluminescent lure is the main way anglerfish catch their prey as it is one of the few light sources in the depths of the ocean.

“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.

In their social media post, the research team said the find, “will be remembered forever.”