Deepest Fish


Deepest Fish

The world's record holder for deepest fish goes to the brotulid* family, about which scientists know almost nothing. These fish are benthopelagic, living at depths of 7000 meters or more. The world's deepest fish (Abyssobrotula galatheae) was found in the Puerto Rican Trench at a depth of 8,372 meters (that's over five miles down!). Unfortunately, the fish didn't survive the trip to the surface. 

Their eyes appear to be virtually nonexistent. Maybe it's because there is never enough light for the fish to see, so why bother with the eyes? After all, eyes in most organisms are designed for gathering light in the creature's visual field and transmitting it to the brain - giving it useful information about its environment. In a world where no sunlight ever penetrates there's probably little use for eyes. The brotulids probably have other, highly developed senses to compensate for their lack of vision, which help them to find their way around in the dark depths. Maybe YOU could be the scientist who studies this species and unravels its mysteries.

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Challenger Deep

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Read about the deepest ever living fish filmed on the sea floor.

Deepest Fish
This species is called a 'Sabre tooth' (can you guess why?) and it is one of the deepest-dwelling fish in the sea. Sorry, but Extreme Science still does not have a photo of a brotulid species. Scientists know almost nothing about this fish that dwells deeper than any other fish in the ocean, so getting a picture will take some time - stay tuned!

See many more photos of creeps from the deep on ExploretheAbyss.com Benthic fish See many more photos of creeps from the deep on ExploretheAbyss.com!

 

  Ocean Zones
  Geography of the Sea
  Fastest in the Sea
  Deadliest Creature
  Whale Shark
  Blue Whale
  Sperm Whale
  Giant Jellyfish
  Great White Shark
  Orca
  Exploring the Deep
  Life in the Deep
  Deepest Ocean Creature
  Deepest Fish
  Deep Sea Vents
  Colossal Squid
  Challenger Deep
 

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