These crazies of the deep sea hold their breath minute by minute

No wonder this fish looks like a grumpy, swollen balloon – it has been taking a sip of water for centuries.

This strange little creature is known as coffinfish (Chaunax essayouri) and lives in the deepest parts of the Pacific Ocean. Researchers have observed this "breath retention" behavior for the first time by flipping through publicly accessible videos captured by NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) remotely controlled vehicles, Science reported.

The scientists found pictures of eight different coffins in the water that they had washed away. [In Photos: Spooky Deep-Sea Creatures]

To obtain the oxygen necessary for their survival, the fish swallow water (two parts of hydrogen and a part of oxygen), extract the oxygen then "expire" l & # 39; Water depleted of oxygen by releasing it from their gills, reported Science. But these fish have long held water in their large hearing rooms, from 26 seconds to 4 minutes, instead of releasing it immediately.

Scientists also took computer tomography (CT) of museum coffinfish specimens to examine the huge gill chambers used by animals to hold water.

In terms of why fish do that, researchers have hypotheses. They said that holding the breath could help the fish conserve energy. It could even protect them by giving them a bigger air than predators, like what puffers do when pushing their stomachs. According to one study, when a coffinfish stays in the water, its body volume increases by 30%.

The researchers reported their findings on May 10 in the Journal of Fish Biology.

Originally published on Science live.