MBARI's advanced underwater robot reveals a new species of deep-sea snailfish [View all]

Sep 8, 2025

MBARI collaborators at SUNY Geneseo, with scientists from the University of Montana and the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, have described three new deep-sea snailfishes, including one first discovered with MBARI’s remotely operated vehicle Doc Ricketts.

Snailfishes make their homes in a variety of ocean habitats—from shallow tide pools to deep-sea trenches. The newly described bumpy snailfish (Careproctus colliculi), observed in the depths of Monterey Canyon nearly 3,300 meters (10,800 feet) underwater, has a distinctive pink color and a bumpy texture.

Video credits:
Producer/editor: Kris Walz
Production team: Raúl Nava, Kyra Schlining, Nancy Jacobsen Stout, Susan von Thun
Music: Happy Simple Charming Plucks (Manny Mendelson)

“Many snailfish species have a disk on their belly that allows them to grip the seafloor or hitchhike on larger animals, such as deep-sea crabs,” says MBARI communications specialist Raúl Nava. “Shallow-water snailfishes often cling to rocks and seaweed, curling up like a snail.”

MBARI researchers used a combination of microscopy, micro-computed tomography (micro-CT), and measuring techniques to collect detailed information about the snailfish. They also employed DNA sequencing methods to distinguish each of the three newly found fish from all other known species, confirming they’re totally unique.

https://www.mbari.org/