At 26,700 Feet, This Is the Deepest-Swimming Fish Known

Deep within the cold, dark reaches of the Mariana Trench, off the southeastern coast of Japan, researchers have discovered a bevy of weird new fish. At a record-breaking 8,143 meters beneath the sea's surface—around 26,700 feet down—these fish represent the deepest-dwelling species yet found, says the BBC.

One of the fish in particular, an unconfirmed but suspected new species, is particularly odd.

Like most deep sea creatures, the new fish is certainly not a looker, as you can see in the video above from New Scientist.

In an interview with the BBC, Alan Jamieson, one of the researchers behind the find, said, “We think it is a snailfish, but it's so weird-looking; it's up in the air in terms of what it is."

It is unbelievably fragile, and when it swims, it looks like it has wet tissue paper floating behind it.

And it has a weird snout - it looks like a cartoon dog snout.

At more than 8,000 meters depth, the new fish lives nearly seven times deeper than its more famous deep-sea colleague, the blobfish. Like the blobfish, the new fish packs specialized adaptations to help it survive in the crushing conditions in the ocean's depths. And, also like the blobfish, these adaptations leave it looking kind of funny.  

Colin Schultz | | READ MORE

Colin Schultz is a freelance science writer and editor based in Toronto, Canada. He blogs for Smart News and contributes to the American Geophysical Union. He has a B.Sc. in physical science and philosophy, and a M.A. in journalism.