Several samples of the extremely rare Pacific football fish were found ashore on a California beach in 2021. You may know these fish as angler fish with bioluminescent bulbs hanging on their heads. Before this event, humans have only identified 31 species of football fish in over one hundred years. This is because these fish live more than 3,300 feet below the sea.
The creature was spotted during an expedition with the Schmidt Ocean Institute.
The strange footballfish might be the deep sea monster we have been looking for.
Scientists from Schmidt Ocean Institute managed to film this small, but weird, fish in the waters of the Pacific Ocean near Hawaii.
The football fish is small, about 4 inches long and looks like a black and white striped football. It was caught by a remotely operated vehicle belonging to Schmidt Ocean Institute in November 2016 and has been studied since then.
The team of scientists also found a second similar species, called football head twinspot unicornfish that shares many features with its smaller companion when it comes to coloration and shape of its body. Furthermore, they also discovered that these two fishes are both hermaphroditic- meaning they can breed with one another!
The football fish is one of the most perplexing deep-sea monsters. It has a human-like head and face, but if one were to take a closer look, it would be able to see that its body is shaped like a football.
The football fish is not technically a fish at all; it belongs to the group of deep-sea cucumbers. Its appearance, however, seems to be somewhat similar to that of a fish. This gives it an advantage when hunting for food on the seafloor.
The strange footballfish might be the deep sea monster we have been looking for. By uncovering a new species of football fish, scientists are able to learn more about the diversity of the deep sea.
The football fish is a strange spherical creature with one eye that can be found living in deep waters about 2,000 meters below the surface and has never been seen before by humans.
This year, three unusual fish washed up in California. Scientists were thrilled to have the opportunity to study this elusive creature, but they found something unusual. Why did these fish suddenly come to the surface?
These fish are known to stay deep inside the Pacific Ocean. Their habitat only spans around 1,000 to 3,300 feet deep. Their bodies cannot handle the lessened pressure closer to the surface. And since there is very little food that deep in the ocean, they developed to be able to eat just about anything they lure.
This makes their discovery on the shores of California that much more curious. One washed over the Black’s Beach. Another was found in Crystal Cove State Park in Newport Beach. And the last one was found in a San Diego Shoreline.
Some experts believe these specimens could have gone up in a search for food. After all, one of them showed signs of starvation. However, this is not true for the other two.
The experts who studied these fish noted that there are fundamental aspects about these fish that we do not know. They were even considered deep sea monsters before we understood more about them. They are also commonly depicted in pop culture as the very monsters we once believed them to be.
When asked if this was a sign of something amiss in the ocean’s depths, the experts rejected the notion. They said we would have found a few more Pacific football fish if this were the case.
Regardless, we still have no explanation for why we found these fish ashore. We don’t understand what could have pushed them to attempt the journey.
It is noted that this is the first time in 20 years this has happened. The last time we found these fishes on our shores was two decades ago, and we didn’t know why it happened before either.
At this moment, the “deep sea monster” known as the Pacific football fish remains a mystery.
