This Deep Sea Fish May Not Be An Alien, But It Definitely Looks Like One

There’s no place on Earth quite like the bottom of the ocean. Water covers more than 70% of the Earth and you never know what you’re going to find below the surface. While exploring the Mariana Trench at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, a group of scientists came face to face with the deepest dwelling fish ever discovered.

It’s equal parts fascinating and oddly terrifying.

This is the ghostly fish that they discovered. It was caught on camera by one of the team’s deep sea lander vehicles.

It was found a record depth of 8,143 meters (26,715 feet). The previous record for the deepest dwelling sea creature was 7,700 meters (25,262 ft), set in the Japan Trench.

If I didn’t know this was real, I would suspect that this “ghost fish” was some sort of marketing stunt for a new science fiction movie.

Check out this otherworldly footage of the “ghost fish.”

(via IFL Science)

Animals that live at the bottom of ocean trenches tend to be a little…odd. The lack of light, food sources, and the high pressure environment can do funky things to evolution. Most are pale, sickly-looking creatures, but the ghost fish takes the cake. 

Here’s hoping I never, ever meet one in person.

This Deep Sea Fish May Not Be An Alien, But It Definitely Looks Like One