No.3: Black Seadevil (Melanocetus johnsonii)
Jet-black, round-bodied, and armed with dagger-like teeth, this anglerfish dangles a glowing lure above its gaping maw to attract unsuspecting prey. Known as the Black Seadevil, this predator lurks at depths beyond 4,900 feet (1,500 m), where sunlight never penetrates.
But its most shocking feature? Sexual parasitism. While females grow up to 8 inches (20 cm), males are tiny—just a few centimeters long. Once a male finds a mate in the infinite dark, he bites her skin and fuses into her body, eventually becoming little more than a sperm-producing appendage. A single female may carry multiple fused partners on her abdomen—a bizarre yet effective strategy in a world where encounters are rare.
Filmed alive for the first time off California in 2014, this nightmarish anglerfish is both grotesque and fascinating—a true devil born of the deep.
No.2: Barreleye (Macropinna microstoma)
Meet the Barreleye, a fish so strange it seems like a creature from a sci-fi movie. Its head is a transparent dome, revealing two glowing green, tube-shaped eyes inside—eyes that rotate like gun turrets. Normally, they point upward, scanning the darkness for faint silhouettes of prey. When it strikes, those eyes swivel forward for pinpoint precision.
Discovered alive only in 2004, this 6-inch (15 cm) wonder stunned researchers in California’s Monterey Bay. Found at depths of around 2,100 feet (650 m), it’s a rare glimpse into deep-sea innovation. That crystal-clear head isn’t just weird—it helps refract light, enhancing the fish’s ability to survive in eternal twilight.
Restricted to the North Pacific, the Barreleye is one of the ocean’s most mind-bending marvels—a transparent window into evolution’s wildest experiments.
