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12/22/2024 06:48:29 pm

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World's Deepest Fish Discovered in the Mariana Trench [Video]

Record breaker

World's deepest living fish

Researchers have discovered the world's deepest living fish at the deepest place on Earth, the Mariana Trench.

The unklnown species was found at a depth of 8,145 meters, breaking the previous depth record set in 2008 by nearly 500 meters, researchers said.

The international team aboard Schmidt Ocean Institute's research vessel Falkor returned from the Hadal Ecosystem Studies (HADES) expedition that departed from other deep-sea trench research by sampling a broad spectrum of environments using five deep sea vehicle systems called landers at specifically targeted depths from 5000 m to 10,600 m (16,404 ft. to 34,777 ft.).

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The deep fish didn't look like anything known, according to Alan Jamieson from the University of Aberdeen,

Jamieson said the creature is incredibly fragile and has large wing-like fins. Its head resembles that of a cartoon dog.

Researchers used new robotic technology that allowed them to explore the relatively barren environment. The team of Scottish scientists from the University of Aberdeen captured footage from their HADES expedition.

The footage captured video of new species of snailfish, supergiant amphipods measuring a foot or more in length, rat-tails and cusk eels.

"Rarely, do we get a full perspective of the ocean's unique deep environments. The questions that the scientists will be able to answer following this cruise will pave the way for a better understanding of the deep sea, which is not exempt from human impact," said Wendy Schmidt, co-founder and Vice President of Schmidt Ocean Institute.

The findings will provide insight about the Earth's largest and least explored habitat, and the adaptations of animals to this high-pressure environment.

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