Researchers at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) were surprised to come across this bright red whalefish (Cetomimus sp.) at 1,479 meters during a dive with the ROV Doc Ricketts in December 2016. The animal was 10.7 cm long. These may be the first living images of this species of Cetomimus.
 
Originally described as resembling baleen whales, female whalefishes are stout with large heads and jaws. They lack external scales and pelvic fins. The eyes of adult whalefishes are very primitive and small. The lens is lost shortly after transformation from the larval stage, and with it the ability to form images. To compensate, whalefishes have developed an exceptional, highly sensitive, lateral line system. This system of sensory pores runs over the head and down the length of the body, with numerous sensory papillae to help them perceive their surroundings by detecting vibrations. Whalefishes have rarely been collected alive, therefore few details of their biology are well known.

Wavelengths of light in the red end of the visible spectrum are preferentially absorbed by seawater, so red colors appear black in the deep sea. The intense red color of this whalefish actually enables it to disappear into the darkness and ambush unsuspecting prey or avoid a hungry predator. Many deepsea creatures use red coloration as camouflage.