A disturbing video of a fish seemingly "killing itself" due to being frightened by a camera flash has re-emerged on social media. View the disturbing footage below:

The footage, estimated to have been captured in 2013, depicts the unexpected and startling demise of a fish in a Japanese aquarium.

A group of individuals surrounding the massive aquarium begins snapping photos with flash enabled.

As the camera flashes intensify, one tuna fish seems to react negatively to the repetitive flashing and responds by colliding with the glass.

Unfortunately, the disturbed sea animal managed to render itself unconscious and, according to reports, died from the impact.

Aquariums are typically constructed from a highly reflective acrylic material which can have a detrimental effect on the sight of the fish on the opposite side of the glass.

"This is why flash photography should not be allowed in aquariums," a Reddit user who posted the clip thought.

"The fish cannot see the glass and think the water continues onward in that direction as the flashes resemble reflective light bouncing off the water."

The footage shocked viewers, with one person remarking: "Every adult has walked into a glass or mesh-screen door at maybe a couple of miles per hour."

"Now, imagine the speed at which that fish swam into the aquarium's dense glass wall. That is horrific."

Another added: "Wow I'd never seen tuna swim and didn't know they could be that fast. That almost looked unreal."

Another person wrote: "I think the camera flashes confused it into a feeding response and that caused it to blindly ram into the glass."

"There's a reason why most zoos and aquariums restrict flash photography because it disturbs and confuses the animals."

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) states that some tuna species are regarded as "the Ferraris of the ocean" and are capable of swimming at speeds of up to 43 miles per hour.

Despite their ability to swim rapidly, the Atlantic bluefin tuna, for instance, can grow up to ten feet in length and weigh as much as 2000 pounds (exceeding the weight of a horse).

Their specialized body shape and powerful fins grant them "special swimming muscles" that allow them to swim at high speeds through the ocean.