In the belly of these fish they found a weapon

In the belly of these fish they found a weapon "secret" amazing Free Technology

How can you survive the harsh temperatures?Arctic Ocean? While life is difficult here, it’s certainly not impossible: there are several marine species that inhabit the icy waters around Greenland, and many of them have always been a mystery to scientists. But now we found out the “secret” of some arctic fishand it’s really amazing.

The Mystery of the Snail Fish

That snailfish (called “snailfish” in English) is a species that lives in the depths of the ocean and is known by that particular name due to its gelatinous appearance and almost completely scaleless skin. Although these fish populate almost all ocean waters, they are particularly present in the Arctic Ocean, where they survive truly extreme temperatures. The species Liparis-Gibbusalso called the colorful snailfish, is an excellent example of an animal that can live in freezing waters.

But how does one do it? In recent years, scientists have long studied these fish sequencing its RNA stealing all their secrets. For example, in 2019 they discovered the existence of a green and red colored snailfish, the first two-tone fluorescent specimen. Now the experts have found something new in their bodies: a lot antifreeze proteins, thanks to which this species does not freeze in arctic waters. In fact, the presence of proteins of this type was already known, but no one had ever understood how many liparis gibbus produced.

“We didn’t realize how full it is of antifreeze proteins and how much effort it takes to produce it,” explains the biologist. David Gruber, the City University of New York. Just like the antifreeze we use in our cars to keep the radiator from freezing, the proteins produced by brightly colored snailfish serve to prevent ice crystals from forming. According to scientists, they are weaker than other marine species (including fish, reptiles, insects and plants). However, they would be enough to allow the Liparis-Gibbus to do this survive temperatures that often fall below freezing.

Why snailfish are endangered

So the colorful snailfish has a “secret weapon” that helps it adapt Extreme temperatures of the Arctic Ocean, and which so far has proven to be a very important evolutionary advantage. But that may no longer be the case in the future. The Arctic regions are indeed warming very rapidly, a phenomenon that began in the second half of the 20th century and appears to have no intention of slowing down. According to experts, temperatures in Greenland’s waters are rising twice as fast compared to what is happening elsewhere.

Several studies have analyzed the risks of global warming in the Arctic Ocean: within the next three decades it is possible that the much ice anything present in it is completely dissolved. Why should this be a problem for variegated snailfish? So far, this species has struggled with a habitat poor in marine life, with few fish able to survive the freezing temperatures. But as the water warms, other life forms could soon reach what were once thought to be extreme latitudes “compete” with the already existing species in the arctis. And brightly colored snail fish may not survive.