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AnimalsTranscript
00:00 (splash)
00:02 Wow, that's a giant fish.
00:06 We have managed to reach the moon
00:07 and even Mars in the last few decades,
00:10 conquering a little bit of space each year
00:12 and educating ourselves in what is out there.
00:15 But one of the last known frontiers
00:16 and what should be most familiar remains unexplored.
00:19 Yep, we're talking about our oceans.
00:22 (screaming)
00:24 More than 70% of the Earth's oceans remain unexplored.
00:28 My God, look at the size of the thing.
00:32 That's because the deep waters are often dark
00:35 and can be terrifying.
00:37 Divers that decide to brave the cold and dark
00:40 take a real risk when they get into the water.
00:42 But they also see some fantastic sea monsters
00:50 that make for quite a story.
00:52 Welcome back to Forever Green,
00:57 where today we're going to look at some of the largest fish
01:00 ever found by divers.
01:02 But before we begin, quick pop quiz.
01:05 How small is the smallest fish in the world?
01:08 All right, let's dive in.
01:10 Number eight, giant sunfish in Portugal.
01:18 It looks like the great white sharks
01:21 and whales have some competition.
01:23 This insanely large ocean sunfish, or Molumola,
01:27 was photographed by Miguel Piriá
01:29 off the coast of Portugal.
01:30 The fish gets its name thanks to its habitat
01:33 of sunbathing on the surface of the water.
01:36 And Mola, the Latin word for millstone,
01:38 alludes to its flattened shape.
01:40 The largest specimens usually reach 14 feet fin to fin
01:46 and weigh over 5,000 pounds or 2.6 tons.
01:50 These are the heaviest known bony fish in the world
01:53 and can be found worldwide.
01:55 But because they like the open ocean better,
01:57 seeing them like this is pretty special.
02:00 It's incredible that these divers
02:06 manage to control themselves and not touch the fish.
02:09 Not only would touching them be wildlife harassment,
02:11 but scaleless fish like the sunfish
02:14 are known to carry over 40 different parasites.
02:17 Sunfish don't have teeth, but instead have a fused beak.
02:20 This helps them break jellies
02:22 and other small prey items into pieces,
02:24 which they then mince with claw-like plates in their throats.
02:27 Sounds terrifying, doesn't it?
02:29 They primarily feed on small fishes, squid, and crustaceans.
02:34 Sea jellies actually make up only about 15% of their diet.
02:37 Their eyes are large and allow for a lot of light
02:40 to come in, which is essential for foragers like the sunfish.
02:44 A female sunfish can produce
02:45 up to 300 million eggs per brood.
02:48 And upon hatching, the babies look very little
02:51 like the adult form.
02:52 Over time, the clavus, which is the rubber-like appendage,
02:55 forms the fin rays.
02:57 As you can see in the video, despite its giant size,
03:00 the sunfish poses no threat to the diver.
03:02 The only danger is that sometimes these fish
03:06 jump from the water and onto boats,
03:08 damaging the vessel and injuring the people on it.
03:11 Number seven, basking sharks in Mayo.
03:16 The basking shark is the second largest living fish on Earth
03:20 and one of three plankton-eating sharks
03:22 besides the whale shark and megamouth shark.
03:25 You'll find them anywhere in the world,
03:27 and it's a slow-moving filter feeder
03:29 with anatomical adaptations for filter feeding,
03:32 like an enlarged mouth and gill rakers.
03:35 These divers got pretty close and weren't harmed,
03:37 given these sharks are a whopping 26 feet in length
03:40 and can weigh 16 tons.
03:44 But luckily, they have no interest in humans.
03:47 They feed on small fish and zooplankton,
03:49 and they are generally quite passive.
03:51 Basking sharks often just circle divers calmly.
03:56 Sadly, because of their calm nature and slow swimming,
03:59 they have been preyed upon for their flesh,
04:01 hide, and large liver by humans.
04:04 It is currently fished mainly for its fins,
04:06 and parts of it are used in traditional Chinese medicine.
04:09 They are now a threatened species,
04:11 with their numbers dropping massively
04:12 between the 1900s and 2000s.
04:15 As a result of this, the basking shark is protected
04:18 in some territorial waters,
04:20 and the trade of its products
04:21 is restricted in several countries.
04:23 It doesn't help that these sharks also have natural predators
04:26 like white sharks and killer whales.
04:28 Number six, giant oarfish in Mexico.
04:33 The giant oarfish is found worldwide
04:36 in the upper layers of the open ocean,
04:38 but it is most common in the tropics and middle latitudes.
04:41 They are the world's longest bony fish,
04:44 reaching record lengths of 26 feet.
04:47 But there have been specimens going up to 36 feet.
04:50 While kayaking in Baja, Mexico,
04:52 on a trip organized by a tour company
04:54 called UnCruise Adventures,
04:56 two explorers caught sight of not one,
04:58 but two giant oarfish.
05:01 - My God, look at the size of this thing.
05:05 - They were swimming about in a shallow lagoon,
05:07 which is unusual since they typically like the open ocean.
05:11 Maybe it was strong currents
05:12 that drew them so close to the shore,
05:14 and despite people trying to lead them back,
05:16 they remained stranded.
05:18 Oarfish have a ribbon-like structure
05:20 with a dorsal fin along its entire length
05:22 from between the eyes to the tip of the tail.
05:26 Because of their appearance,
05:27 they are often assumed to be the sea serpents
05:29 divers talk about.
05:30 At the head of the fish is a distinctive red crest.
05:33 Its organs are all concentrated toward the head,
05:36 so it can lose large portions of its tail
05:38 and still be able to survive just fine.
05:40 It doesn't face much danger from humans
05:42 as they are not fished commercially,
05:44 but they do occasionally get caught in nets and marketed.
05:47 But for the most part,
05:49 they stay far out in the open ocean
05:51 or deep in the mesopelagic zone at 3,300 feet.
05:54 Number five, rescuing a 40-foot whale shark.
05:59 Whale sharks are found in almost all tropical waters,
06:04 although they are considered a rarity.
06:06 They are most commonly spotted in Maldives and Seychelles
06:09 and the dive islands of Koh Tao.
06:11 In fact, one of the major reasons
06:13 diving is so popular here
06:15 is so everyone can get a look
06:16 at this beautiful endangered shark.
06:19 What makes the experience better is that there is no danger.
06:22 Whale sharks pay little attention to divers,
06:24 probably because they have nothing to fear in the ocean,
06:27 given its massive size.
06:28 But while whale sharks may not have any natural predators,
06:31 it does have to contend with hunters and fishermen.
06:34 Even when the whale sharks aren't that close to the shore
06:37 for humans to be a threat,
06:38 they have to deal with other debris in the ocean,
06:40 specifically those put there by man.
06:43 This brave team of divers managed to pull off the rescue
06:46 of this giant whale shark that was caught in a rope.
06:49 It was around its head and pectoral fins,
06:51 and the divers, Simone Musumeci and Antonio DeFranco,
06:55 managed to free it.
06:56 When it was finally free,
06:59 you could see it joyously swim away.
07:01 You'll find that you can spend your whole dive
07:04 with these sharks and even snorkel with them
07:06 because they don't swim away from humans.
07:08 Every year, a large number of them are tagged
07:11 and tracked by scientists and divers
07:13 to make sure they are safe.
07:14 This gives us a better idea of their lives,
07:17 and we can learn how to do more to protect them.
07:19 Number four, Bluntnose Sixgill Shark.
07:24 Hundreds of meters below the surface is an apex predator
07:29 that's bigger than the great white shark
07:31 and older than dinosaurs.
07:33 The Bluntnose Sixgill Shark, often called the cow shark,
07:37 is the largest hexanochoid shark
07:39 growing up to 20 feet in length.
07:42 They're typically found in tropical and temperate waters,
07:45 and their diet varies by region.
07:46 It consists of other species too,
07:49 like the big-eyed sixgill shark.
07:51 In 2019, a group of scientists
07:53 went out to tag the mythical beast to keep it protected
07:56 and learn about how they move, what they eat,
07:58 their mating habits, and more.
08:00 The tagging itself brings no harm to the shark,
08:03 but the process can be painful.
08:05 - Still in the belly.
08:05 - Yeah, yeah, yeah.
08:07 - If you're not in a submarine,
08:09 the shark is hauled to the boat much like a fisherman would.
08:11 - That is amazing.
08:14 - Which brings the shark much closer to the surface
08:17 than it would ever come.
08:19 There could be a light trauma
08:20 for a deep-sea shark like this sixgill.
08:22 - Look at the width of that thing.
08:24 - Since they don't usually experience light that bright,
08:28 and thermal trauma since it's hotter on the surface
08:30 than deeper in the ocean.
08:31 When they are finally let go,
08:33 they usually take about 24 to 48 hours
08:35 to return to normal behavior.
08:37 Here, the scientists sit in a submarine
08:41 waiting for the sixgill to approach.
08:43 The female shark pushes and bumps the submarine,
08:45 but the scientists don't seem to be scared by that.
08:48 They tag the shark using a spear appendage
08:50 protruding from the sub,
08:52 and the shark struggles for a little while
08:54 before the spear falls off,
08:55 having done its job of tagging the bluntnose sixgill.
08:59 Since 2005, scientists have been able to tag these sharks
09:02 to study their behavior, and only one remained in 2019,
09:05 which was tagged by OceanX, Florida State University,
09:09 and the Cape Alithera Institute,
09:11 despite their massive size.
09:12 These sharks are relatively harmless
09:14 unless you provoke them.
09:16 Three months after this footage was recorded,
09:18 the tag floated up to the surface,
09:19 where scientists retrieved it
09:21 and studied the data collected.
09:23 The bluntnose sixgill sharks are near threatened
09:25 because, despite their extensive range,
09:28 their popularity as a sport and food
09:30 makes them open to hunting and exploitation.
09:32 This shark was pregnant and hunting whales in the area
09:36 when Ramsey found her,
09:38 but there is even some speculation
09:39 that the shark Ramsey met wasn't Deep Blue,
09:42 but Hoyle Girl,
09:43 a newly discovered and equally massive great white
09:46 who is also believed to be pregnant.
09:48 Number three, moray eel attack on a diver.
09:53 This one is a not so friendly encounter.
09:56 Moray eels are found everywhere,
09:58 and there are about 200 species worldwide.
10:01 They have a snake-like appearance,
10:02 and their bodies have a pattern.
10:04 Morays are known to be opportunistic,
10:06 carnivorous predators,
10:07 and they feed primarily on smaller fish,
10:10 crabs, and sometimes octopuses.
10:12 A spotted moray eel has been seen eating a red lionfish.
10:17 They have few natural predators,
10:19 which include barracudas and sea snakes.
10:22 This is a giant honeycomb moray eel,
10:24 also called the lacy eel.
10:26 At about 9.8 feet,
10:28 this is definitely the longest of its kind.
10:30 They rarely attack humans unless provoked,
10:33 and this diver must have done something
10:34 to make this guy angry.
10:36 As he quietly stands next to the creature
10:38 to capture footage,
10:39 the moray eel decides he has had enough
10:41 and attacks the diver,
10:43 forcing him to make a run for it.
10:45 Good thing he got away,
10:46 because even though moray eels are mostly docile,
10:48 their jaws are powerful,
10:50 and their teeth are sharp.
10:51 If you don't tend to it properly,
10:54 you can even get a secondary infection.
10:56 Moray eels are in less danger of extinction,
10:59 but they are traded heavily
11:00 for aquariums and private collections.
11:02 You definitely can't eat them,
11:04 as they are known to accumulate
11:05 high levels of cigua toxins.
11:07 Ciguatera poisoning can cause mild symptoms
11:10 like dizziness, weakness, and itchiness,
11:13 but it can go up to sensitivity to hot and cold
11:15 and cardiovascular problems.
11:17 In one instance,
11:18 57 people in the Mariana Islands
11:20 were poisoned after eating the head of the fish.
11:23 So, if you spot a moray eel,
11:25 best to give it its own space.
11:27 It is now time to check out today's subscriber pick.
11:31 Remember, if you ever come across
11:33 some bizarre or fascinating image,
11:35 you can send it to us and we'll investigate.
11:37 Today's pick comes from our subscriber,
11:39 and it seems to be a giant,
11:41 rather flat-looking fish next to a diver.
11:43 We can't tell the exact size of the fish,
11:45 but it's certainly huge.
11:47 We did a little digging, and good news,
11:50 it's absolutely real.
11:51 It does look quite like the sunfish we saw earlier,
11:54 and you could call this one a distant cousin.
11:56 Check out number two, the bumphead sunfish.
12:01 For the longest time,
12:02 scientists thought the ocean sunfish
12:04 were the largest of bony fishes.
12:07 But it turns out that that title
12:09 goes to its distant cousin, the bumphead sunfish.
12:12 Etsuro Sawai, a biologist
12:15 at the Hiroshima University in Japan,
12:17 led a group that examined hundreds of sunfish specimens.
12:20 The bumphead is identified by small lumps
12:22 on its head and chin.
12:24 And these guys can grow over 10 feet long
12:27 and weigh around 5,000 pounds.
12:29 They prefer warmer temperatures than the ocean sunfish,
12:32 and can be found in Australian waters
12:34 with their other cousins, hoodwinker sunfish,
12:36 slender sunfish, and point-tailed sunfish.
12:39 Before we move on, here's a quick challenge for you.
12:43 If you can leave a like on this video,
12:45 smash that subscribe button,
12:47 and turn on the notifications in less than five seconds,
12:50 you will have 10 years of amazing luck.
12:52 Hurry up and try it, it actually works.
12:55 Number one, record-breaking great white shark, Hawaii.
13:01 What might look like a scene out of the movie Jaws,
13:03 (dinosaur growling)
13:07 is just a typical day for the marine biologist, Ocean Ramsey.
13:11 She and a team of her divers were studying tiger sharks
13:13 off the coast of Hawaii,
13:14 when they came upon the largest predator in the ocean
13:17 and caught the action on camera.
13:20 The female shark was eight feet wide and 20 feet long.
13:23 And to put that in perspective, that's as tall as a giraffe.
13:27 This shark could be deep blue,
13:30 the great white tagged by scientists
13:32 about 21 years ago in Mexico.
13:34 Deep blue is said to be over 50 years old,
13:36 and has been featured on Shark Week on Discovery Channel.
13:39 Despite her size, she's been regularly filmed
13:42 being quite docile and calm,
13:43 even allowing Ocean Ramsey to hold her fin.
13:46 The shark is said to have fed on some whale carcasses,
13:49 which could explain her calm demeanor.
13:51 That's it for today, but we do have one thing left.
13:55 How small is the smallest fish in the world?
13:58 We hope you've put your guesses down below.
14:00 The answer is pedocypris,
14:02 which grows to a maximum length of 10.3 millimeters.
14:06 They're found in Southeast Asia and are nearly transparent.
14:09 If you enjoyed this video,
14:11 don't forget to hit the like button
14:12 and check out more videos on nature and animals
14:14 on the Forever Green channel.
14:16 We'll be back soon with another video, but until then,
14:19 thanks for watching and we'll see you next time.
14:21 (upbeat music)
14:24 (upbeat music)
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