The deep sea is cold, dark, and under immense pressure. Yet life has found a way to prevail there, in the form of some of Earth’s strangest creatures.
Since deep-sea critters have adapted to near darkness, their eyes are particularly unique — pitch-black and fearsome in dragonfish, enormous in giant squid, barrel-shaped in telescope fish. This helps them catch the remaining rays of sunlight penetrating to depth and see the faint glow of bioluminescence.
Deep-sea fish, however, typically start life in shallower waters in the twilight zone of the ocean (roughly 50-200 metres deep). This is a safe refuge to feed on plankton and grow while avoiding becoming a snack for larger predators.
Our new study, published in Science Advances, shows deep-sea fish larvae have evolved a unique way to maximise their vision in this dusky environment — a finding that challenges scientific understanding of vertebrate vision.
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