Shortspine Tapirfish
Video courtesy of NOAA Ocean Exploration, Windows to the Deep 2021.
Download largest version (mp4, 73.2 MB)

This shortspine tapirfish (Polyacanthonotus rissoanus) allowed us to get a good look at it as it swam in the water column at a depth of 1,154 meters (3,786 feet) during Dive 11 of Windows to the Deep 2021. While scientists initially thought the fish might have been pregnant, later consultation with a fish expert indicated that it was just very, VERY stuffed full of food.