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With the rise of new technology and equipment, in addition to the patience and perseverance of talented scientists, more is being discovered about the deep sea and the rare, prehistoric-looking ocean life down there being captured for the first time.
One animal in particular is an ancient-looking, rare fish near Indonesia, nicknamed the “dinosaur fish” because of its appearance. It’s so unusual to see that researchers thought this particular species had gone extinct at one point, nearly 70 million years prior, so coming across it was quite a surprise.
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Researchers Not Only Got To Spot The Fish, But Capture It On Film
A research study on Nature.com published late April, talks about the rarity of spotting this ‘dinosaur fish’ in Indonesia specifically, more appropriately called the adult coelacanth.
“Coelacanths are arguably one of the most emblematic and evolutionarily-important of the marine vertebrates,”
the study says.
“To date, only two species are known globally: the West Indian Ocean Coelacanth, Latimeria chalumnae, found in the Mozambique Channel, from Southern Africa to Comoro Islands, and the Sulawesi Coelacanth, L. menadoensis, found off Sulawesi and Western New Guinea in Indonesia.”
The study touches on how rare it is to find the coelacanths in Indonesia, going on to talk about the moment that they discovered the ocean animal in its natural habitat. This discovery is important when it comes to understanding the animals’ vulnerability and particular habits, according to experts.
‘We report here the first observations of an adult coelacanth in the North Maluku Province of Indonesia and the first in situ images taken by divers of an Indonesian coelacanth, after successfully identifying suitable ecosystems during previous deep technical dives,”
The report published by Nature.com states.
“This discovery contributes to our understanding of the biogeography and ecology of this vulnerable species and provides additional insights about its natural behaviour. Ultimately, we expect this work to help addressing coelacanth conservation in Indonesia, in an international context of dramatic biodiversity decline and natural ecosystems destruction.”
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How Did These Professionals Achieve Capturing The Fish At Such Depths?
The first initial thought might have been that they used submersibles, or photography equipment that was able to handle such intense water pressure, but the team actually dove 410 feet with the help of special equipment like rebreathers. A great tool for longer dives, according to PADI. It takes out the carbon dioxide and replaces the oxygen used. The team also used trimix breathing gases which, according to Scuba Diver Life, “involves a combination of three gases: oxygen, nitrogen and helium.”
This equipment allowed the scientists to spend about five minutes when they first encountered the “dinosaur fish,” and again for another eight minutes when they went back to the area where they found it on a different dive. Lucky for the researchers, the fish was also out in the open, so it was easier to observe.
“Coelacanths are really a flagship species. They would bring a lot of immediate international attention and that would be very good from a conservation perspective,”
The VP of Conservation International Asia-Pacific field division said on YouTube. Experts are thrilled with this find. Not only did the professionals manage to capture it on film, but photographing the coelacanth, being able to study it in the deep sea, can potentially lead to better conservation efforts down the line, according to experts.
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