Nature can, in so many ways be surprising. There are so many living species; we are yet to discover. Sometimes their inhabitant or their looks, camouflaging their surroundings, it is not easy to spot them all. So, when biologists tried to capture pictures of deep-sea creatures for Science, they had to face many challenges, but one was poignant. There was a species, they had never seen before, and it was difficult to capture them. Camouflage themselves with ultra-black, they discovered a never-seen-before fish species, swimming in the depths of the ocean, at ease. These ultra-black fish are among the darkest creatures ever found, evolving to camouflage themselves to the predators, even with no sunlight, scientists explain in a recent study. The pictures show the blackest fish ever documented.

According to the study, published in the journal Current Biology, researchers found 16 species of ultra-black fish, which by definition absorb more than 99.5 percent of light, making them mere shadows as they swim. “In the deep, open ocean, there is nowhere to hide and a lot of hungry predators,” zoologist, Karen Osborn, of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History and a co-author of the study was quoted saying in Reuters report. Fish With Human Face and Sharp Teeth Found in Malaysia Will Freak You Out! Know More About This Species of Triggerfish. 

The scientists studied 16 species of ultra-black fish, including the fangtooth, the Pacific black dragon, the anglerfish and the black swallower, in the waters of Monterey Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. Some of the fish inhabit parts of the ocean, as deep as three miles, where very sunlight can reach. At these depths, researchers explain, bioluminescence light emitted by living organisms is the only source of light. The museum has posted pictures of the ultra-black fish species, living in the deepest of deep. Antarctica’s ‘Doomsday’ Glacier Is Melting Rapidly, Scientists Warn About Thwaites Glacier Losing Ice and Threatening Catastrophic Sea-Level Rise. 

Check Out Pics of the Ultra-Black Fish:

Using Its Camouflage to Hunt and Prevent Getting Hunted!

Another Pic of Ultra-Black Fish Species!

Photographing the fish was extremely difficult for researchers. The camouflage is likely the difference between hunting and getting hunted, the scientists explained further. After comparing with regular blackfish, ultra-black fish have uniquely shaped packets of pigment with their skin cells. The skin of these fish is some of the blackest material, ever discovered. The findings rank the fish among the world’s blackest-known animals. Other than the fish, there are ultra-black butterflies that reflects between 0.06% and 0.5% of light and the blackest birds have 0.05% to 0.31% reflectance, as per reports.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 18, 2020 10:12 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).