Mysterious deep-sea creature caught in Canada stumps researchers for years — until now
Off the coast of Nova Scotia, Canada, shallow waters deepen as they meet the Atlantic Ocean.
On the edge of the continental shelf, a 40-mile-long trench cuts into the ocean floor, creating a deep, submarine canyon.
It’s called the Gully, and it’s a marine protected area under Fisheries and Oceans Canada.
More than 9 miles wide, the Gully is “the largest underwater canyon in the western North Atlantic,” the department says, and is filled with endangered and rare species.
It was here that in 2009 researchers caught and brought to the surface a mysterious looking fish.
The animal had a bulbous head, sleek body and gaping mouth, and was a dark brown, nearly black color, according to a July 24 Facebook post from Fisheries and Oceans Canada.
“They sampled and analyzed its DNA,” the department said. “Back then, it did not match any known species and was left without a name.”
More than a decade passed, and then a group of researchers from Russia left on a scientific voyage to the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.
Using a remote-controlled vehicle, the researchers trawled over a rift valley at the bottom of the sea, according to a study published June 2023 in the Journal of Ichthyology.
The trawl captured fish that looked similar to the one previously caught in Canada, and the researchers took a closer look.
The fish had medium-sized heads, “very small” eyes that had a pupil but no lens and curved teeth, according to the study.
After a genetic analysis, the researchers realized it was a new species of whalefish.
“Last year, this species was named Cetomimus paxtoni, and we now know its genetics match our Gully specimen,” Fisheries and Oceans Canada said. “Now we know what to call our deep-sea discovery — which remained a scientific mystery for 15 years!”
Whalefish live in a part of the sea called the midnight zone at a depth of more than 3,300 feet, according to the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute.
The lack of development in their eyes — like the missing lens — means they likely can’t form images, and rely on a network of pores on their body to sense the world around them in the dark, according to the MBARI.
Most whalefish are around 8 inches long, the MBARI says, but some can reach as long as 16 inches.
“Their name derives from their resemblance to a baleen whale with a broad trunk and a large, gaping mouth for gulping prey,” the MBARI said.
Fisheries and Oceans Canada said that whalefish overall are “rare,” but “the Gully has various species of whalefish” in the extensive underwater canyon.
The Gully is off the eastern coast of Nova Scotia, a province on the east coast of Canada.
This story was originally published July 26, 2024 at 12:26 PM with the headline "Mysterious deep-sea creature caught in Canada stumps researchers for years — until now."
