Alien-like fish which can glow bright green discovered near coast of Greenland

A new species of fish found in an Arctic iceberg has left researchers fascinated because of its looks and its abilities to glow green. The scientists, who found the variety of snailfish, described it as “extra-terrestrial-looking” and said that the anti-freeze proteins present in their blood allows them to glow bright green. David Gruber, a research associate at the American Museum of Natural History and a biology professor at City University of New York's Baruch College, headed the study.

"The snailfish was one of the few species of fish living among the icebergs, in the crevices. It was surprising that such a tiny fish could live in such an extremely cold environment without freezing."

"Antifreeze proteins stick to the surface of smaller ice crystals and slow or prevent them from growing into larger, and more dangerous, crystals,” Gruber said in his research paper.

"Fish from both the North and South Poles independently evolved these proteins," he added.

The discovery, which was made off the coast of Greenland, is a clear indication of the evolutionary changes in marine organisms. The glow is considered to be a feature which was developed by the species to maintain body its body temperature in the harsh conditions of the Arctic region.

"The fact that these different antifreeze proteins have evolved independently in a number of different — and not closely related — fish lineages show[s] how critical they are to the survival of these organisms in these extreme habitats," John Sparks, co-author of the study, told Live Science.