Researchers investigating marine life in the depths of the Pacific captured footage of an extremely rare creature.
The Herald reported that scientists spotted a faceless cusk eel through a remote exploration vehicle. The vehicle was in the deep sea off the coast of the Cook Islands. The eel was first described way back in 1878 by an expedition, but was only rediscovered in 2017.
As the name suggests, the eel has a rather unsettling appearance. Juvenile faceless cusk eels may have eyes beneath the skin, but adults do not. Its mouth is under the body, hence its rather frightening, nonexistent visage.
These odd-looking creatures survive in some of the most inhospitable regions on the planet. They live in cold, dark waters thousands of feet below the surface. They have adapted to live at depths of up to five kilometers (3.1 miles).
Sunlight does not reach such extreme depths, so the eels navigate by scent rather than sight. They primarily eat bottom-dwelling crustaceans and other invertebrates. Given their extreme rarity, almost nothing is known of their population, reproductive process, or lifespan.
Indeed, the deep sea remains a mystery to scientists. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, almost three-quarters of the seafloor have yet to be mapped. And a May 2025 study suggested that 66% of the entire planet is deep sea.
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It's fair to say that we've got a lot to learn about all things submarine.
The discovery highlights the importance of equipment such as trail cameras in conservation research, whether at sea or on land.
Footage captured by unmanned submersibles could hold the key to uncovering more of the ocean's mysteries. It's especially important to fully understand what's actually down there given the recent moves by organizations to explore deep-sea mining.
Expeditions like this are key to raising awareness so that international organizations make decisions about the ocean with care.
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Definitely 👍 The organization that carried out the research, the Ocean Exploration Trust, described the difficulty and importance of the work.
"Capturing these creepy critters on camera hasn't been easy," the organization said on its website, "but deep diving capability of ROV Little Hercules means we get to meet these representatives of Cook Islands' biodiversity, for the first time."
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