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The footage shows a female black seadevil anglerfish (Melanocetus johnsonii) alive near the ocean surface off Tenerife in daylight on January 26, 2025, according to EFE. It was an extraordinary encounter, but not the first time the species had been filmed alive: the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) recorded one at depth in 2014. The fish was already in poor condition, died within hours, and the reason it reached the surface remains unknown.
A deep-sea predator appeared in sunlit water
A Condrik Tenerife shark-research team encountered the fish near Playa San Juan, about two kilometres offshore, while returning to port from a pelagic shark campaign, EFE reported. The fish was identified as a female black seadevil, also called a black devil or humpback anglerfish. Museum specialists at Tenerife’s Museum of Nature and Archaeology later confirmed it as Melanocetus johnsonii.
The date differs between accounts: EFE and National Geographic report January 26, while the museum’s announcement gives January 25. EFE places the encounter about two kilometres from shore. The team spent a couple of hours with the fish, according to marine biologist Laia Valor, and it died within hours before its body was transferred to the museum.
The unusual part was the setting: a deep-water species was alive near the surface in daylight. Condrik described the observation as a possible first of its kind, not an established absolute record.
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Was this really the “first-ever footage”?
No—not if “first-ever” means the first video of the species alive. MBARI’s 2014 annual report says its remotely operated vehicle Doc Ricketts filmed a living M. johnsonii at 580 metres in Monterey Canyon.
The narrower claim is that Tenerife may be the first recorded observation of an adult black seadevil alive near the surface in daylight. That possibility was attributed to Condrik Tenerife; it should not be presented as a confirmed global first.
The Tenerife footage is therefore not the first video of a living black seadevil. It documents an unusually exposed daylight, near-surface encounter, in contrast to MBARI’s deep-water ROV recording.
How the Tenerife encounter unfolded
The encounter involved Condrik Tenerife’s shark-research team and marine photographer David Jara Boguñá. The team had been returning from a pelagic shark campaign when it noticed the fish near Playa San Juan, EFE reported.
EFE and National Geographic give January 26, 2025, as the encounter date. The Museum of Nature and Archaeology’s later announcement records the specimen’s appearance as January 25. The date discrepancy is unresolved, so January 26 is best stated with attribution rather than as a date confirmed by every account.
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Laia Valor, a marine biologist with Condrik Tenerife, told EFE that the fish was damaged and in poor condition, and that it lived only a few more hours. After it died, the team transferred its body to the museum. The footage and the reported condition do not establish what caused its surfacing or death.
What kind of fish is a black seadevil?
The black seadevil is a deep-sea anglerfish in the order Lophiiformes and family Melanocetidae. Its scientific name is Melanocetus johnsonii. “Anglerfish” describes a broad group, so the black seadevil should not be confused with every anglerfish seen in documentaries or popular films.
The Tenerife fish was female. Females are much larger than males in this species; the familiar large head, wide mouth and prominent lure are features of the female.
| Feature | What sources report about Melanocetus johnsonii |
|---|---|
| Habitat depth | Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) reports 200–1,500 metres; EFE, relaying Condrik Tenerife, reports 200–2,000 metres. |
| Earlier live footage | MBARI reports filming one at 580 metres in Monterey Canyon in 2014. |
| Lure | A bioluminescent esca at the tip of a modified dorsal fin ray. |
| Sex of Tenerife fish | Female. |
Sources differ on the species’ depth range, so these figures should be treated as attributed estimates, not a single definitive range for the individual fish.
Why does it have a glowing lure?
A female black seadevil has a modified dorsal fin ray called the illicium. At its tip is the esca, a fleshy structure whose glow is produced with symbiotic bioluminescent bacteria. In darkness, the lure helps attract prey toward the fish.
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MBARI describes M. johnsonii as an ambush predator rather than a fast pursuit hunter. Its expandable jaws and teeth help it capture prey that comes close. Calling the illicium a “fishing rod” can help explain its appearance, but it is an evolved biological structure, and there is no evidence the Tenerife fish was deliberately using it to hunt in bright surface water.
The animal has prompted comparisons with the anglerfish in Finding Nemo, but the film’s creature is a simplified popular-culture depiction, not a taxonomic identification of the Tenerife specimen.
Why was a deep-sea fish at the surface?
No confirmed explanation is available. Condrik and experts cited by National Geographic and WHOI have discussed possible explanations, but none has been established for this fish:
- Illness, injury or stress: these have been raised as possibilities, but the footage does not diagnose the fish’s condition or explain how it reached the surface.
- Currents or upwelling: unusual water movement could have affected its position.
- Escape from a predator: a larger predator might have disturbed it; this remains a hypothesis.
- Warm water rising near volcanic fissures: National Geographic reports this as a proposed possibility, not a confirmed cause.
- A feeding-related buoyancy event: one hypothesis is that a prey fish’s gas-filled swim bladder could have drawn the anglerfish upward.
The gas-filled-swim-bladder explanation is speculative, as are the other proposed mechanisms. The footage cannot establish that climate change, El Niño, decompression sickness or a particular disease caused the event. The fish did not necessarily “come up to see the light”; there is no evidence it intentionally sought sunlight.
What happened to the specimen?
After the fish died, its body was transferred to Tenerife’s Museum of Nature and Archaeology. Museum specialists confirmed the identification as Melanocetus johnsonii.
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On June 2, 2025, the museum and collaborators conducted non-invasive CT imaging at 1-millimetre cross-sectional resolution, according to the museum’s announcement. The museum said the imaging could help examine internal structure and possible pathology; the announcement did not report a diagnosis or explain why the fish surfaced.
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A verified specimen can support further examination, but the CT procedure alone does not resolve the cause of this encounter or the fish’s death.
A short chronology
- November 17, 2014: MBARI’s Doc Ricketts records a living M. johnsonii at 580 metres in Monterey Canyon, according to MBARI.
- January 25 or 26, 2025: A female black seadevil is encountered alive near the surface off Playa San Juan, Tenerife. EFE and National Geographic report January 26; the museum’s record gives January 25.
- February 2025: International reporting brings attention to the Tenerife footage and its possible daylight, near-surface significance.
- March 20, 2025: WHOI publishes an explainer on the sighting, the species and possible reasons for the unusual surfacing.
- June 2, 2025: CT imaging is conducted on the museum specimen.
- June 5, 2025: The museum announces the CT procedure.
What the footage can—and cannot—tell us
The video documents a living adult black seadevil near the surface in daylight, a setting in which this deep-water species is rarely observed. It shows the fish’s distinctive body and lure, but it cannot explain why the animal was there.
Nor can one unusual sighting establish a broader change in the species’ habitat or population. The available reports say the fish was damaged and in poor condition and died within hours, but they do not establish the cause of its condition, surfacing or death.
The most careful conclusion is that Tenerife produced an exceptionally rare daylight, near-surface encounter and footage that Condrik described as a possible first under those specific conditions. The cause of the surfacing and death remains unresolved.
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FAQ
Was the Tenerife fish the first black seadevil ever filmed alive?
No. MBARI filmed a living Melanocetus johnsonii at 580 metres in Monterey Canyon in 2014. The Tenerife encounter may be the first recorded observation of an adult alive near the surface in daylight, but that remains a qualified possibility.
Was the Tenerife anglerfish footage real, and was the fish alive?
Condrik Tenerife’s team reported encountering the fish alive near the surface. It was in poor condition and died within hours, according to marine biologist Laia Valor’s account to EFE.
Why did the black seadevil come to the surface?
No one has established the cause. Illness, injury, currents, predator escape, warm water movement and a feeding-related buoyancy event have been discussed as hypotheses, not confirmed explanations.
Did the Tenerife black seadevil die?
Yes. It died within hours of the encounter, and its body was transferred to Tenerife’s Museum of Nature and Archaeology.
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Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →What does a black seadevil’s glowing lure do?
The glowing esca at the tip of a modified dorsal fin ray helps attract prey in darkness. Its glow is produced with symbiotic bioluminescent bacteria.
The Bottom Line
The Tenerife footage is not the first video of a living black seadevil. It may be the first recorded observation of an adult Melanocetus johnsonii alive near the surface in daylight. The fish was in poor condition, died within hours, and the reason it surfaced remains unknown.
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