Extraordinary Deep-Sea Footage Shows Fish With 'Feet' Walking Across The Bottom Of The Ocean

Jan 04, 2020

The world is a big place, and many people forget most of it is an ocean. Vast reaches of the ocean remain unexplored, and we can only guess about its ecosystem. Even close to shore, aquatic life can surprise land dwellers. Recent footage of fish walking on the ocean floor certainly left some viewers flabbergasted.

The United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) takes advantage of modern technology to capture camera footage from deep down at the ocean's floor. The Okeanos Explorer is the name of a research vessel capable of reaching depths not accessible to oceanographers decades ago. The previously unknown secret waters surrounding Puerto Rico now have the Okeanos Explorer traveling across the ocean floor. And there was something else traversing along the ocean floor.

As reported by The New York Post, the bizarre-looking creature known as the deep-sea anglerfish used its fins to walk along the bottom. And the bottom was incredibly far down. The fish performed its casual stroll at 450 meters down, which is 1,475 feet. The research vessel traveled out of Puerto Rico waters and found itself roughly 170 miles from Naples, FL coast.

Recordings of the fish are rare. Footage from 2001 by the Ocean Explorer shows the fish waltzing deep down in a Gulf Stream reef known as the Charleston Bump. Without the tremendous efforts of the NOAA team, the world would never see their creatures in their natural action.

Do you know someone who is a fan of the Discovery or National Geographic Channel? Shark Week watchers might be highly interested in learning about this incredible walking fish of the deep sea.