Terrifying photos show "ultra-black fish" camouflaged in the darkest parts of the ocean

[WillParkinson]

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/terrifying-photos-ultra-black-fish-camouflaged-dark-ocean/

Scientists have now uncovered the secrets behind the magical disappearing act of some of the fish lurking in some of the deepest parts of the ocean. These "ultra-black" fish are among the darkest creatures ever found, evolving to camouflage themselves to predators, even with no sunlight.


According to a study published Thursday in the journal Current Biology, certain exotic species of fish have adapted the shape, size and pigment of their skin to absorb 99.5% of the light that hits them — making them about 20 times darker than everyday black objects. These fish mark the first time ultra-black has been discovered in aquatic animals, researchers said.

Scientists at Duke University and the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History studied 16 species of ultra-black fish, including the fangtooth, the Pacific blackdragon, the anglerfish and the black swallower, in the waters of Monterey Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. The fish spanned seven different orders, which are large groupings that each have a shared evolutionary history, to determine that the modifications occurred independently from each other.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. Yikes.

[Faux pas]

6. Lol

you stole my response

[Lars39]

2. Well,I've got my nightmare for tonight!

Holy shit!

[Leghorn21]

3. Uh (gulp)..."dark" indeed

Oh and yes, “terrifying” works just fine

[Chainfire]

4. Wait a minute

Is that my Mother-in-law?

[Alacritous Crier]

5. Fortunately...

they don't get very big.

[SCantiGOP]

7. The stuff of nightmares

[CaptYossarian]

8. Wasn't that in the Alien movie?