An Atlantic water devil is very curious by nature. The first ever documented observation of an Atlantic water devil was in 1633 by the Spanish merchant Elias Gomez, who called him el Monstruo del Mar (Spanish for "the Monster of the Sea"). Atlantic water devils are mainly found in the north Atlantic, although sometimes a few are found more to the south.
Atlantic water devils eat everything; from small fish to sea birds and even orcas. Every year about one to two thousand people are attacked by an Atlantic water devil, a third of which have lethal consequences.
An adult Atlantic water devil can be recognized by its silver scaly snake body and white dragon-like head. The mouth of an Atlantic water devil consist of strong, slightly curved teeth that can be up to ten inches long. Atlantic water devils can breathe both below and above the surface of the water due to their combination of six gills and three lungs, which lie one behind the other in the long body. At birth, Atlantic water devils have a length of around three feet and weigh around fifty pounds, and they have a deep blue back and white belly, both of which change smoothly to silver in ten years. Atlantic water devils continue to grow throughout their lives, with the average lifespan of around a hundred and fifty years.
Atlantic water devils are solitary, meaning they spend most of their lives alone, and only come together during mating season, which is in the middle of the summer. The mating of Atlantic water devils is quite spectacular and is nicknamed Gran Fuerza. The mating goes as follows: first the males start swimming in circles, close to the surface of the water, creating a whirlpool. At the same time, the females move between the males, looking for the right partner. When a female has chosen a male, she dives to a depth of about one hundred to two hundred meters, and then swims back up at high speed and jumps out of the water through the vortex of the chosen male. When this happens, the male, followed by the female, dives to the deepest depths of the ocean, where the female lays her eggs after mating. An average nest of an Atlantic water devil consists of six eggs, of which only one hatches after eight months.
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Mythical Creatures
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