25 Amazing and Bizarre Deep Sea Creatures

Posted in Beauty, Environment, Nature by admin

Modern research has shown that, despite the pitch-blackness of the water, the freezing cold, and the crushing pressure, some amazing and bizarre creatures have adapted to life in the depths of the sea.

Photos courtesy of Wikipedia

Lionfish (Pterois)

This Russell lionfish’s bright colors act as a warning. Hidden behind its fin, the fish has spines that can inject a deadly poison into attacker. The lionfish is also known as the Turkey Fish or Dragon Fish. They are notable for their extremely long and separated spines, and have a generally striped appearance, red, brown, orange, yellow, black, maroon, or white.

Vampire Squid (Vampyroteuthis infernalis)

Literally means “vampire squid from hell,” is a small, deep-sea cirrate cephalopod found throughout the temperate and tropical oceans of the world. Unique retractile sensory filaments justify the Vampire Squid’s placement in its own order. It shares similarities with both squid and octopuses. As a phylogenetic relict it is the only known surviving member of its order.

Japanese Spider Crab (Macrocheira kaempferi)

This is the largest known arthropod; fully grown it can reach a leg span of almost 4 m (13 ft), a body size of up to 37 cm (15 inches) and a weight of up to 20 kg (44 lb). The crab’s natural habitat is on the bottom of the Pacific Ocean (some 300 to 400 m deep) around Japan, where it feeds on dead animals and shellfish. It is believed to have a life expectancy of up to 100 years

Icefish (Notothenioidei)

The Antarctic icefish belong to the perciform and are the largely endemic, dominant fish taxa in the cold continental shelf waters surrounding Antarctica. The majority of Notothenioids live at seawater temperatures between of -2°C and 4°C. It is possible to have seawater temperatures below the freezing point of fresh water (0°C) because dissolved salts lower the freezing point of a solution in a colligate manner. Antarctic icefish has no red blood cells. Direct absorption from seawater affords sufficient oxygen for its slow metabolism.

Lion’s Mane Jellyfish (Cyanea capillata)

The lion’s mane jellyfish gets its name from its thick mane-like mass tentacles and its tawny color. The stinging tentacles may be up to 33 ft or 10 m long. It is the largest known species of jellyfish. The Arctic Lion’s mane jellyfish is one of the longest known animals; the largest recorded specimen had a bell (body) with a diameter of 2.3 m (7 feet 6 inches) and the tentacles reached 36.5 m (120 feet). It was found washed up on the shore of Massachusetts Bay in 1870.

Toothy Grin – Seawolf (Anarhichas lupus)

Wolf fish eat sea urchins, which they crush with their large teeth. The Seawolf, also known as the Atlantic wolf fish, Atlantic catfish, wolf eel, or sea cat, is a marine fish, the largest of the family Anarchididae.

Tripod Fish (Bathypterois grallator)

The tripod fish gets its name from the three extra-long fins extending from its body. It uses these like stilts to stand on the bottom, keeping its body just above the surface of seafloor. Then it sits and waits to ambush any passing prey. When the prey comes within range, the tripod fish pounces on it.

Giant Sea Spider (Colossendeis)

The giant sea spider is found at depths of about 16,404 ft or 5,000 meters. It moves over the soft ooze of the deep-sea bed on its very long legs. It feeds on the juices of worms and other soft-bodied invertebrates, which it sucks out with its proboscis (feeding tube).

Viperfish (Chauliodus)

This is a deepwater fish with long, needle-like teeth and hinged lower jaws. They grow to lengths of 30 to 60 cm (12 – 24 in).

Rattail Fish – Giant Grenadier (Albatrossa pectoralis)

The giant grenadier is a very large rattail, the only member of the genus Albatrossia, found in the north Pacific from northern Japan to the Okhotsk and Bering seas, east to the Gulf of Alaska, and south to northern Baja California in Mexico, at depths of between 140 and 3,500 m. Its length is up to 2.1 m.

King Crab (Lithodes maja)

Many species of king crab are found in cool waters around the world. Most lives on sandy bottoms at around 600 meters deep.

Goblin Shark (Mitsukurina owstoni)

This is a deep-sea shark, the sole living species in the family Mitsukurinidae. The most distinctive characteristic of the goblin shark is the unorthodox shape of its head. It has a long, trowel-shaped, beak-like rostrum or snout, much longer than other sharks’ snouts. Some other distinguishing characteristics of the shark are the color of its body, which is mostly pink, and its long, protrusible jaws.

Flounder (Paralichthys)

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These fish range in total length about from 34cm to approx. 55cm. These fish are laterally flattened bottom dwellers with both eyes on one side. They have distinct coloration such as spots, irregular blotches and rings on one side of their body with the other being pale.

Loose-Jawed fish (Aristostomias grimaldii)

This 5 inch (13 cm) fish is found in the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. It has large, sharp teeth.

Tulip-shaped Glass Sponge

Tulip-shaped glass sponge grows to about 16 in (40 cm) high and is raised off the seafloor by long stalks of twisted silica. The silica “skeletons” are just like fiberglass.

Venus Flower Basket (Euplectella aspergillum)

Venus flower basket is a type of glass sponge. The Venus’ Flower Basket is the only Hexactenellida in the phylum Porifera to be used in hobbyists’ aquariums.

Halosaur (Halosauropsis macrochir)

The Halosaur is another type of bottom-dwelling fish. It is about 6 ft 6 in (2 m) long, with a sharply pointed snout and a tapering body. The halosaur is thought to use its snout to dislodge invertebrates from the seabed. It also eats deep-sea squid.

Gulper Eel (Eurypharynx pelecanoides)

The gulper eel has huge, pouch-like jaws. These can open wide enough, and its stomach stretch far enough, for it to swallow fish much bigger than itself. The gulper eel can unhinge its jaws, opening its cavernous mouth even wider. This fish grows to a length of 2 ft (60 cm). It is found at depths below 6,500 ft (1,998 m).

Deep-sea Anglerfish (Lasiognathus sacestoma)

The deep-sea angler fish has a long fishing-rod fin hanging down over its mouth, with a blob of light at the end. Small fish mistake the light for food and swim straight toward it – right into the angler fish huge, wide-open mouth.

Female Deep-sea Anglerfish and Attached Male (Linophryne orgyresca)

The tiny parasitic male of this angler species attaches itself permanently to its mate’s abdomen. The female reaches a length of about 3 inches (8 cm).

Current Crustacean – Squat Lobster (Munidopsis tridentatus)

Squat lobster is a vent crustacean that is completely blind, with no eyes in its eye sockets. It scavenges for scraps of food in the currents stirred up by gushing hot vent water.

Orange Sea Pen (Ptilosarcus gurneyi)

Sea pens are soft corals to stony, reef-building corals. They are named after old-fashioned quill pens. Sea pens can reach a height of 5 ft (1.5 m).

Underwater Dandelion (siphonophore)

Scientists discovered at the vent sites an odd creature called siphonophore. It looks like a dandelion, but is in fact related to the jellyfish. It hangs just above the seabed, held in place by fine, thread-like tentacles.

Flying Gurnard (Dactylopterus volitans)

The flying gurnard is a marine fish notable for their large pectoral fins. They have also been observed to “walk” along sandy sea floors while looking for crustaceans and other small invertebrates by using their pelvic fins.

Clownfish (Amphiprion)

Clownfish live among the tentacles of sea anemones. A mucus coating protects the fish from tentacles’ sting.