While exploring the ocean floor using remotely operated submarine equipment, scientists captured rare footage of one of the most mysterious and elusive creatures of the deep sea – the whale.
The vibrant orange female whale (belonging to the order Cetomimiformes, distinct from the larger whales of the order Cetacea) was discovered swimming, partially gliding through the bright light of the submarine at a depth of approximately 2,013 meters off the coast of Monterey Bay, California, USA.
A Cetomimiformes whale spotted at a depth of 2,013 meters off the coast of Monterey Bay, California. Photo: Taken in 2021 / MBARI
The sighting of this whale is one of only 18 recorded instances by marine biologists from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute during 34 years of deep-sea exploration.
“Whales are rarely seen alive in the deep sea, so there are still many mysteries surrounding this giant fish that remain unsolved. With each deployment of our ocean floor exploration equipment, we discover entirely new things,” stated the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute.
The Dramatic Transformation of the Cetomimiformes Whale
In 1895, the whale was first discovered to exist in the ocean by two scientists from the Smithsonian Institution (USA). More than a century after their discovery, very little information about the whale is known to scientists. In fact, there was confusion even over a century later. Three very different forms that the species can take throughout its life cycle were mistaken for three entirely different species! In reality, they are all the same species!
The bizarre bodily transformations that the Cetomimiformes undergo are unprecedented among vertebrates, and for decades, it was unknown that the different body types belonged to the same animal family.
(1) The first form is the Dragon Tail: These are the juvenile whales (larval form without scales and with long tails). They live and feed near the ocean’s surface. When it’s time for these young fish to mature, two vastly different body shapes await them.
Each shape has a different lifestyle and diet, to the extent that the larvae undergo dramatic transformations as they mature, completely altering their skull and organs to prepare for their new life.
(2) If they are male, the Dragon Tail will transform into the Bignose Fish:
The males undergo the most significant changes. Their jawbones disappear, their mouths shrink, their intestines retract, and their esophagus and stomach vanish entirely. Once the transformation is complete, they will never eat again. Their thoracic cavity is filled with reproductive organs and a gigantic liver that sustains them – they are nothing more than swimming sperm factories.
The bizarre bodily transformation of the Cetomimiformes whale (3 forms) is unprecedented among vertebrates. Photo: National Geographic
Before transforming from Dragon Tail to Bignose Fish, male Dragon Tails are described as frenzied foragers: These creatures will stuff their bodies with small crustaceans called amphipods to help sustain them for the rest of their lives.
(3) The females will transform into Cetomimiformes whales: They undergo a similarly dramatic bodily transformation. Their bodies swell, resembling a miniature baleen whale (Mysticeti), growing to a much larger size than their male counterparts. Unlike the males, they continue to eat throughout their adult lives, resulting in them becoming the largest of the three forms.
The female’s body develops lateral lines that detect water pressure along their flanks to guide them through the pitch-black depths of the ocean. In some species, the female’s body turns a bright orange. However, since red and orange light cannot penetrate the depths they inhabit, this coloration renders the fish nearly invisible.
As female whales mature, they develop lateral lines that detect water pressure along their flanks to guide them through the pitch-black depths of the ocean. Photo taken in 2021 by MBARI.
Both males (Bignose Fish) and females (whales) tend to be found at depths ranging from 1,500 to 2,000 meters below the ocean’s surface, although some reports have claimed they can live even deeper, beyond 3,500 meters.
The strange bodily transformations that the Cetomimiformes undergo are unprecedented among vertebrates, and for decades, it was unknown that the different body types belonged to the same animal family.
This transformation of the Cetomimiformes whale is completely unparalleled among vertebrates and has puzzled biologists for decades.
Only in 2009 did a study of mitochondrial genetics (along with careful analyses of collected animal samples during the transformation process) allow researchers to initially understand that the Dragon Tail, Bignose, and Cetomimiformes in their studies belong to the same species. And the discovery (with images) by scientists from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute proved this.
However, this discovery was only made for one species; coupled with the elusive nature of deep-sea creatures, the taxonomic tree of many whale species may never be fully completed.
Very little is known about the habits of this fish species, but scientists believe that whales migrate to depths of about 600 meters below the sea surface to feed at night. When the sun rises, they descend deep below to rest.
