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Abyssal rainbow gar

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Else Bostelmann illustration, 1934

The abyssal rainbow gar is a hypothetical species of fish observed by William Beebe while in his bathysphere on 11 August 1934, at a depth of 2,500 feet (760 metres) off the coast of Bermuda.[1][2]

Description

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At 11:07 o'clock on 11 August 1934, Beebe turned on the 1500-watt light of his bathysphere. In the illuminated water was a quartet of slender fish positioned upright, each four inches in length, with sharply pointed jaws. The heads and jaws of the fish were scarlet, the back of their gills was a strong blue, and their posteriors and tails were a clear yellow. After remaining stiff for a moment, the group of fish swam into the darkness.[1]

Although he named them abyssal rainbow gars, Beebe stated that they may have been "anything but gars."[1]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Beebe, William (1934). Half Mile Down (PDF). New York: Harcourt, Brace and Company. p. 208–209.
  2. ^ Matsen, Brad (2007). Descent: The Heroic Discovery of the Abyss. Knopf Doubleday Publishing. ISBN 9780307425492.