HERE THERE BE SNAILFISH

Biologists Discover ‘Adorable’ Deep-Sea Fish Species

The fish was found off the California coast at depths of more than 10,000 feet.

Marine biologists have discovered a new species in the Pacific Ocean’s deepest waters. But unlike most bottom feeders, these tiny fish are unexpectedly cute. The bumpy snailfish, or Careproctus colliculi, are delicate, bubblegum-pink, and about the width of your palm. “It’s pretty adorable,” marine biologist Mackenzie Gerringer told The New York Times. Gerringer and her team discovered the bumpy snailfish as well as two other species—dubbed the sleek snailfish, or Paraliparis em, and the dark snailfish, or Careproctus yanceyi—off the coast of Central California at more than 10,000 feet below the surface. The team, led by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, used advanced robot technology to discover and collect the fish. Snailfish species come in a range of colors and have been found thriving in a variety of environments, from tide pools to depths of 27,000 feet in the ocean. “They also have a lovely little smile on their face,” deep ocean ecologist Johanna Weston said. The discovery of the fish “highlights how much we still have to learn about our planet,” Gerringer told IFLScience.