‘The way I sobbed’: The internet is mourning the deep-sea anglerfish who swam to the surface to die
TikTok users are mourning, celebrating, and mythologizing an anglerfish who was spotted rising to the surface of the sea before dying. Marine wildlife photographers and researchers from conservation NGO Condrik Tenerife found and filmed the fated fish, excited to spot the unusual species so far outside of its deep-sea environment.
The dramatic video they posted on Instagram captured hearts and minds across social media, especially on TikTok, where users posted dramatic interpretations and AI videos of the doomed fish to millions of views.
The black devil rises
On Feb. 5, 2025, photographer David Jara Boguñá and Condrik Tenerife created a joint Instagram post with footage of the anglerfish floating up toward the surface of the sea to the overture of The Phantom of the Opera. They caught sight of it near the largest of the Canary Islands in January.
"It could be the world's first recorded sighting of an adult black devil or deep-sea anglerfish (Melanocetus johnsonii) alive, in broad daylight and on the surface!!" they wrote. "A legendary fish that few people will have had the privilege of observing alive."
"It is a true predator of the deep, which inhabits the seabed between 200 and 2000m deep and uses its dorsal appendage full of bioluminescent symbiotic bacteria as bait to attract its prey, in the same way as in the popular movie 'Finding Nemo.'"
The researchers speculated that the anglerfish had come to the surface due to an illness, an updraft, or an attempt to escape from a predator. According to Spanish media outlet Marca, the creature had suffered an injury and, after several hours of observation, died.
"It was like a dream come true,” Boguñá told National Geographic. “When I was a kid, I had a book with some deep-sea creatures, and I loved the illustrations. They were crazy to me. The animals didn’t look real."
How the dying anglerfish became an iconic mythical hero
The online response to this story is nearly as mindblowing as the sighting itself. On TikTok, videos dramatizing the footage have gone viral as others post footage of themselves crying for the deceased anglerfish.
One video by TikToker @leigh44401 used AI to create a one-minute drama showing an anglerfish asking other sea creatures if they know what the surface looks like, only to be rejected due to its monstrous appearance. Lonely and despondent, it decides to make the journey to see for itself, all to the sound of "Cardigan" by Taylor Swift.
@leigh44401 ‼️‼️ TRIGGER WARNING‼️‼️‼️AI TECHNOLOGY ???? ???????????? She followed the light until the end ???? #anglerfish #devilfish #petloss #fyp ♬ cardigan - Taylor Swift
It got over 45.1 million views in four days.
If you don't like AI, you can enjoy a dramatic speech by @bellainter about the fish and how it can serve as an inspiration to us land animals along with 2.5 million other viewers.
"The anglerfish didn’t rise for nothing," she says. "She came as a warning, a revelation, a prophecy."
"The hunter. The light-bearer. The force of nature that thrived where no one else could. She didn't need the sun to guide her. She carried her own illumination. She lived in the abyss, not as a victim, but as a queen."
Other users wept on camera for the late anglerfish, moved by how far it must have swam in spite of its small size and the fact that it was not built to live at surface level. The phenomenon later spread to sites like X, where the fascination continued.
"This damn anglerfish has this empath in a chokehold," wrote @kirstilynn11.
The fish with the light on its head
Researchers named anglerfish for the little bobble of light attached to a length of tissue sticking out from above its wide, toothy mouth. In the deep sea, where the light of the sun can't penetrate, this "bait" draws unsuspecting prey too close to those formidable jaws.
This intimidating appearance, and especially those teeth, gave this particular species of anglerfish the nickname "black seadevil." They've evolved to live as deep as 3,000 meters below the surface, surviving in spite of the dark and intense water pressure that would kill a human instantly. Because of this extreme environment, few have ever seen a live anglerfish with their own eyes.
"When I first saw the video, I honestly didn’t believe what I was seeing," said Rice University fish biologist Kory Evans. "I thought it was AI."
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