The bizarre-looking fish broke the previous record by 500 metres. Source: Supplied

The bizarre-looking creature, which the researchers believe is an unknown species of snailfish, was filmed during a recent expedition to the deepest place on earth, the Mariana Trench.

Researchers from the Schmidt Ocean Insitute said the ghostly white creature stunned scientists when it was filmed several times during sea floor experiments.

Filmed at 8143 metres below the surface — 500 metres deeper than the previous record — the translucent white fish has broad winglike fins and an eel-like tail.

“When findings and records such as these can be broken so many times in a single trip, we really do get the feeling we are at the frontier of marine science,” said Dr Alan Jamieson.

He told the BBC that without catching the fish the team was unable to confirm it was a new species, but said it did not look like anything previously discovered.

“We think it is a snailfish, but it’s so weird-looking. It’s up in the air in terms of what it is,” he said. “It is unbelievably fragile, and when it swims, it looks like it has wet tissue paper floating behind it. And it has a weird snout — it looks like a cartoon dog snout.”

Other discoveries by the international team exploring the Trench, which is located in the Western Pacific Ocean near Guam, include a number of new fish species and the deepest rock samples ever collected.

The team also captured incredible footage of “supergiant” amphipods using their spiky tails to ward off predatory fish. Amphipods usually grow to 2-3cm, but the deep-sea versions can reach 30cm.

Unlike other expeditions which solely focus on the deepest point, known as Challenger Deep, the Hadal Ecosystem Studies (HADES) expedition sampled a broad spectrum of environments using five deep-sea vehicles at specifically targeted depths from 5000-10,600 metres.

“Many studies have rushed to the bottom of the trench, but from an ecological view that is very limiting,” said co-chief scientist Dr Jeff Drazen. “It’s like trying to understand a mountain ecosystem by only looking at its summit.”

Wendy Schmidt, co-founder and vice president of the Schmidt Ocean Institute, said she was delighted with the success of the expedition.

“Rarely, do we get a full perspective of the ocean’s unique deep environments,” she said. “The questions that the scientists will be able to answer following this cruise will pave the way for a better understanding of the deep sea, which is not exempt from human impact.”