The latest animal to go viral isn\u2019t a baby hippo or newborn tapir or anything that cute really: it\u2019s a humpback anglerfish (Melanocetus johnsonii) that was spotted in shallow waters off the coast of Spain. If you know anything about this kind of fish besides the fact that it has a lantern on its head, it\u2019s that it doesn\u2019t belong in brightly-lit waters \u2014 like blind cave salamanders and earthworms, it is a creature of the deep and dark.<\/p>\n
But seeing it floundering in a glittering blue void quickly infatuated the internet. Because anglerfish need to stay in deep waters to survive (nearly 5,000 feet or 1,500 meters), it is rare for them to reach the surface unless they are sick. Indeed the anglerfish, famous for its razor sharp teeth and bioluminescent lure used to snag prey, died only a few hours after the scientists spotted it. But it was the only documented time humans have seen this fish in this part of the sea. Captured by the underwater photographer David Jara Bogu\u00f1\u00e1, the fish has since found its way all over Reddit, Bluesky and YouTube, with coverage ranging from CBS News, CNN and Oceanographic Magazine.<\/p>\n
Now the scientists \u2014 who were researching pelagic sharks at the country\u2019s Canary Islands \u2014 are going to study the anglerfish\u2019s body, hoping to learn more about its uncharacteristic behavior. Regardless of what they find, experts agree that the anglerfish\u2019s plight is a sign that people should be mindful of the health of our planet\u2019s oceans, which are heating at an unprecedented rate in human history. That begs the question: is the reason this anglerfish was a stranger in a strange land because of climate change?<\/p>\n