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Have you ever imagined a fish that finds its way through the darkest depths of the ocean using its own light? Lanternfish are incredible creatures that live mysterious lives in depths where sunlight never reaches. Getting to know them closely is a wonderful opportunity to understand how living organisms in nature can find astonishing solutions to survive in harsh conditions.

Balloon Fish (Generated by Artificial Intelligence)

How Do Their Lanterns Work?

On the heads of lanternfish there is a specialized organ resembling a fishing rod or a lamp post. Scientists call this luminous organ the "esca". But unlike our lamps, it does not run on batteries! Inside it live tiny bacteria that glow through chemical reactions.^【1】

How does this work? The fish provides the bacteria with a safe home to live in. In return, the bacteria produce light for the fish. This mutually beneficial partnership is called a symbiotic relationship (mutual cooperation). The lanternfish uses this light like bait in the dark waters to attract small organisms and feed on them.

Where Do They Live?

Lanternfish typically live in the dark depths between 100 and 500 meters below sea level, and sometimes as deep as 1,000 meters. In our country, they are normally found in the waters of the Mediterranean and Aegean Seas.^【2】

However, in recent years they have begun appearing in the nets of fishermen off the coasts of Sinop, Ordu, and Artvin in the Black Sea. According to experts, the main reason this species native to the Mediterranean has reached the Black Sea is the warming of seawater due to climate change.

The Strangest Family of the Sea

The ways lanternfish find each other are truly astonishing! Female lanternfish are much larger, while males can be up to 20 times smaller. In the vast and pitch-black ocean, when males find females, they cling to them to avoid being lost.

Over time, the male fuses with the female’s body and never separates again for the rest of their lives. This is a rare and extraordinary miracle of “living together” in nature, one that is seldom seen among animals.

Time Travel

For a long time, humans believed the deepest parts of the ocean were as barren and lifeless as deserts. The existence of fascinating marine creatures like the lanternfish and life in the deep sea only began to be discovered in the 1860s, with advances in science and technology.