Discovered a fish that looks like a golden bronze torpedo

The fish was captured by experts from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) at a depth of 300m in Monterey Bay (Moss Landing, California, USA) and named Bathophilus flemingi (Tall-fin Arowana).

The image in the clip shows the fish swimming gracefully in the water, like a copper-yellow torpedo.

Although this species is capable of swimming very quickly, most of the time it lies in wait and ambushes small fish and crustaceans.

The video was accidentally recorded by experts using an unmanned underwater vehicle (ROV), with an ultra-high resolution 4K video camera in the mesopelagic region.

This is water from 200m to 1,000m deep, starting where only one percent of the light reaches and ending where there is absolutely no light. Because this floor has very little light, marine life has to rely on the shadows to find prey.

The research institute says it is the rarest of the arowana species, as its smooth, bronze-colored skin can help camouflage to hunt. In more than three decades of deep-sea research and more than 27,600 hours of recording, the team has only seen this particular species four times and this is the first time it has been photographed.

The Bathophilus flemingi that experts recorded this time can be up to 16.5cm long. Not much is known about this species, so experts have not been able to determine the maximum size they can reach.

Like other creatures of the high seas, Bathophilus flemingi uses a trick called light reflection – that is, it uses light to obscure its silhouette, helping it blend in with its surroundings when needed. hide.

The smooth, shiny copper-colored skin can help the high-fin arowana camouflage to hunt – Photo: MBARI

According to Bruce Robison, MBARI senior scientist, its metallic copper color absorbs the remnants of blue light making it almost invisible as it goes deeper.

“But when we shined our white light on it, it became absolutely gorgeous,” says Bruce Robison.

Good stealth means that this fish is not detected by prey and they can hunt more easily. This fish also has another great trick to attract prey is a “glow filament” close to the mouth.

Small creatures will be attracted, thinking it is bait and swimming close to the mouth of Bathophilus flemingi and quickly become its meal.

The fins of Bathophilus flemingi have long, thin, wing-like fibers that can sense vibrations in the water, alerting when predators or prey are approaching. They also have the ability to balance Bathophilus flemingi when it lies waiting for food.

MBARI scientists have observed several other species of arowanas at different depths in Monterey Bay. The Pacific arowana (Idiacanthus antrostomus) and the longfin arowana (Tactostoma macropus) are the most commonly seen, but encountering this bronze-colored Bathophilus flemingi is “rare”.