Amazing creature found 27,000 feet under the sea. Here’s how to survive.

In enemy territory Oceanwhere Pressure is more than 830 times Instead of the Earth’s surface, scientists saw a fish swimming randomly. I’m not crazy.

It’s a curious snail, and at 27,349 feet (8,336 meters), it’s the deepest fish ever seen. Researchers have identified the critter in A Deep sea A trip after lowering the camera to the ocean’s “Had Zone” in the Izu-Ogasawara Trench, south of Japan. This mysterious region is named for the Greek god of the underworld and is home to the depths of the seas. The record-breaking observation, announced in early April 2023, was made by scientists from the University of Western Australia and Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology.

Even at such remote depths, researchers have indicated that snails are generally seen in the region. “A large and somewhat lively population of fish.”(Opens in a new tab) But how can these animals survive such extreme pressure and isolated conditions? The answer is that snails, like this in-depth Pseudoliparis fish, are incredibly strange, with clever adaptations.

“In general, deep-sea fishes (inhabiting the deep and shallow zones) are small, flat or jelly-like, egg-shaped fish that live slowly. [that] Jessica Arbor, a biologist at Middle Tennessee State University, told Mashable in an email that they tend to overeat and hunt.

You can watch the record-breaking fish in the clip below.

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Resistance to undetectable pressure

At tens of thousands of feet, tiny proteins in animal cells become weakened and unstable. This is problematic, because proteins are critical to the functioning of animal organs and tissues. But snails produce a chemical called trimethylamine N-oxide, or TMAO, which prevents proteins from converting under such extreme physical stress.

“This name may sound unfamiliar, but TMAO is what gives fish their ‘fishy’ smell,” Mackenzie Gehringer, a biologist at the State University of New York at Geneseo, told Mashable.

TMAO is very effective. For reference, the pressure in Deep part of the oceanThe Mariana Trench is like an elephant standing on your fingernail, Geneseo explained. This deeply observed snail has not been observed at this depth, but is a good approximation.

Snailfish have evolved their bodies in other major ways to cope with constant pressure. Fish in shallow water use gas bubbles to float (“maintain neutral buoyancy”). But these bubbles are compressed in the deep sea. So snails don’t even have this organ. Instead, they stay afloat with fewer or fewer bones, more cartilage and smaller structures like fins, making them somewhat eel-like, Arbor explained. And the snailfish’s skin is jelly-like — as opposed to shelly — to help it float.

Snailfish caught on camera in the Izu-Ogasawara Trench talk zone.
Credit: Mindoro-UWA Deep Sea Research Center / University of Western Australia

Professional eaters in the deep sea

Food in deep-ocean pits is generally not as plentiful as at the surface, where hungry creatures find abundant algae and other organisms that thrive on reefs.

Deep down, life depends on it Top down elements. Creatures live on these particles, then larger animals eat those critters. And snails are well equipped to exploit this prey.

“A talking snail can have more than a hundred of these amphipods in its stomach at once!”

“They have very large mouths and stomachs, so they can cash in when there’s a big meal,” Arbor explained.

CT scan of jaws of both snails.
Credit: Adam Summers / University of Washington

Their food is usually in the form of small crustaceans called amphipods. In the video above, the snails are actually chomping on the amphipods (which are preyed upon by the fish). Snailfish use “sucking” to capture these prey, Geringer explains, by rapidly expanding their mouths and creating a “sucking force that pulls in the amphipod.” But that’s not all: they have hard snailfish. The second set of jaws They crush prey with the back of their throats. It is an effective way of eating.

“A talking snail can have more than a hundred of these amphipods in its stomach at once!” Geringer emphasized.

Seeing in the dark

deep, deep sea or a A state with no light or mostly no light.

Many fish are adapted to see the blue-green light that penetrates deep water, although little sunlight can be found in Chad zones. But snails benefit from bioluminescence, or light produced by organs, in the dark. Creatures glow to hunt or attract mates, among other reasons.

“Snailfish appear to be particularly adapted to see the dim blue light produced by the bioluminescence of their prey,” Arbor explained.

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Snailfish are indeed remarkably adapted to thrive in some of the harshest environments on Earth. Not only do scientists learn about the mysterious deep-sea ecosystem, but they also immerse themselves in this deep-sea footage. It helps us understand how to protect ourselves..

“It’s a great image of this incredible group of animals. It’s great to see the deep oceans in the news, these beautiful and important habits deserve to be understood and protected,” Gehringer said. “We often think of the deep ocean as distant and otherworldly, but we are seeing the effects of human activity in the deep ocean. Climate change and pollution.”