Here are some of the most interesting animals hidden deep in the sea!
9 - Lizard fish In the depths of the ocean, where barely 1%
of light can be seen, there are a LOT of strange creatures that are yet to be discovered.
A lot of these animals have quite a look.
Really, some of them are worthy of being part of a horror film!
And this is the case of the lizard fish.
Originally found off the coast of southern Australia, the lizard fish was discovered
by scientists from the Australian Marine National Facility during an expedition.
As they were dealing with a part of the ocean that was almost impossible to reach, they
did a technique called trawling, where they drag a net across the bottom of the sea to
see what they can grab.
And the lizard fish was in the catch!
An efficient predator, the lizard fish is very patient.
It waits for its prey to come in close, so then it can do a surprise attack.
Its strategy is mainly because of the freezing temperatures of the deepest waters of the
ocean.
The freezing water and the lack of sunlight means that energy is at a premium.
With an intimidating look, it's clear the lizard fish is a predator not to be taken
lightly.
Its sharp and flexible teeth basically makes sure prey don’t have a chance once they’re
caught.
Lizard fish can grow up to two feet in length and eat basically anything that moves around
them.
Here’s another fun fact, lizard fish are hermaphrodites!
They can mate with any member of the species whenever they want!
8 - Atacama snailfish The bottom of the sea doesn’t really seem
to be all that fun.
Animals that live there have to endure extreme conditions that barely any other species can
handle.
This is why it surprised scientists when they recently discovered an unknown species of
snailfish inhabiting the Atacama trench, off the coast of Chile and Peru.
These translucent, scale-free fish were found living their best life at 7,500 meters under
the sea level.
Just to put it in perspective, the pressure in an area like that would crush any large
fish.
Researchers believe that Atacama snailfish are an evolutionary example of what some species
did to do to survive.
They may have adapted to the conditions of the deepest part of the ocean in order to
avoid their predators.
Atacama snailfish have adapted so well to living in the deep that if they were brought
to shallow water, they would essentially melt because of not having enough pressure!
These guys need the pressure from the bottom of the sea to maintain their gel-like structure.
With a length anywhere from 7 and a half to 10 inches, these snailfish are considered
to be one of the most fascinating species found deep in the ocean.
7 - Megamouth shark Very few species that belong to the bottom
of the ocean are usually seen or found in the outside world.
But in this case, it seems like we're talking about probably one of the most popular deep
sea shark species to have ever come up to the surface.
First sighted in 1976 off the coast of Oahu, the megamouth shark is probably THE definition
of a deep sea monster.
It’s a big-mouthed underwater animal with features that can scare anyone who happens
to see it in low light.
Part of the Megachasma genus, megamouth sharks are known to migrate to the surface of the
ocean at night, and then go back down deep once daylight comes back.
Considering its proportions, it’s believed that the megamouth shark isn’t the best
swimmer, since its body is smaller than its head and jaw.
It has been found mostly in the depths of the east Asian Pacific side, and it’s been
caught by fishermen on more than one occasion by accident.
Not only does this shark have a threatening look, but scientists believe that it possesses
bioluminescent lips which attract plankton, its main prey.
So if they mainly just love plankton, what are the 50 rows of teeth in their upper-jaw
and up to 75 rows of teeth in their lower-jaw for?!
6 - Ghost sharks Ghost sharks are a prehistoric combination
of sharks and rays.
Don’t they sound cool already?!
They’re also commonly known as chimaeras, and they’ve been an elusive creature that
very few people have ever been able to see in person.
Even though ghost sharks have been around long before dinosaurs, we still know very
little about them.
Geologists from California were on an exploratory mission and sent two remote operated vehicles
off the coast of California and Hawaii.
To their surprise, their vehicles kept on running into a ghost shark!
They weren’t looking for ghost sharks at all so it was just dumb luck.
Mainly spotted in the waters surrounding the coasts of Australia and New Zealand, ghost
sharks had never been seen outside this region.
This was the first time ever a ghost shark was filmed on video!
Ghost sharks tend to be attracted to light, and that most likely explains why this particular
ghost shark kept bumping into the lense on the camera.
One particular interesting trait of ghost sharks that distinguishes them from the rest
of the shark family is that they don't have large jagged teeth.
They grind up their prey with mineralized tooth plates.
But the most interesting thing is that the male ghost sharks have their retractable uh,
let’s call it, fun organs, on their foreheads!
5 - Fangtooth Having a reputation to be ugly is crucial
for underwater creatures.
Let’s talk about the Fangtooth fish.
It’s kinda hard to be uglier or nightmare inducing than the fangtooth!
Although they look menacing, the fangtooth is actually quite harmless to humans.
It’s a relatively small fish; the maximum length it reaches is only around six and a
half inches.
What's really noticeable about its anatomy is the size of its jaw.
Its body, although covered with scales, also has an under-skin layer of mucous... as if
it needed to be more weird.
The cherry on top of it all is its abnormally large teeth.
In an adult, the largest two fangs in its lower jaw are so long, the fangtooth fish
has evolved a pair of opposing sockets to accommodate these fangs when their mouths
are closed!
The fangtooth actually has the largest teeth of any fish in the ocean proportionate to
body size.
Their teeth are so large, they can never close their mouths!
They’re known for their terrible sight, so they have to literally bump and eat whatever
they swim into.
That explains why they have such big teeth, just in case they run into fish bigger than
them so they can just start chomping!
Ahh, the joys of living in the ocean, where there’s just not enough fish to eat!
4 - Hatchetfish
This is a case of how looks can make us think terrible things about a very innocent creature.
The hatchetfish earned its name because of well….they look like a hatchet!
Hatchetfish are found all over the depths of the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic Oceans.
There are around 45 individual species of hatchetfish that vary in size, anywhere from
one to six inches long!
Hatchetfish have large, tubular eyes that point upward, enabling them to search for
food falling from above.
Because there’s very little light deep in the ocean, their eyes have become extremely
sensitive to light.
They’re apparently very good at distinguishing shadows against the extremely faint illumination
from above.
Although at first glance, it may seem like it’s a terrible predator ready to attack,
the story is actually quite different.
Hatchetfish are just trying to survive one day at a time.
This deep sea fish is known for its bioluminescent characteristics, which comes in handy when
it’s trying to avoid being eaten by the real predators of the ocean.
They have special light-producing organs known as photophores that run along the length of
their body.
Since these light organs point downward, it’s believed that they’re able to hide from
predators through the process of counterillumination.
This means that they can adjust the intensity of their illumination in order to make them
look nearly invisible against the faint light above!
3 - Atlantic wolffish
Apart from their strange looks, the Atlantic wolffish is known as one of the most important
species in keeping marine ecosystems in check.
They’re an important factor in controlling green crab and sea urchin populations.
They’re also an important indicator of the health of other bottom-dweller populations,
such as Atlantic cod.
One really cool feature of this fish is that they can actually produce their own natural
antifreeze!
With this little trick, they’re capable of keeping their blood moving continuously,
helping them of course survive the freezing waters at the bottom of the sea.
Atlantic wolffish live in pairs, something that distinguishes them as one of the few
fish that spends its life with a partner.
This is mainly because of the fact that, when the female lays an egg, the male stays at
the nest to protect them.
Another important feature Atlantic wolffish have is its teeth structure.
Basically, they have a lot of teeth!
They have a first layer of really strong cylindrical teeth, followed by another three other layers
of crushing teeth!
They have so many teeth, they even have teeth in their throat!
2 - Giant Grenadier Imagine a fish that resembles a bomb... a
stink bomb, that is!
What makes them particularly interesting is their stinky smell.
However, there's a biological reason for that.
They posses a higher than average level of the chemical trimethylamine oxide, or TMAO,
which is a chemical that helps all ocean creatures maintain their hydration levels in seawater.
TMAO is crucial for their survival, especially in this case.
But it's also the reason why fish smell the way they do.
The grenadier's looks don't really help its reputation.
They look like some sort of demon straight out of a terrible sci-fi movie.
With a huge mouth and several rows of tiny teeth, this aggressive-looking fish is just
plain ugly!
And, it doesn’t help that they have a long pointed tail.
They’re commonly found living just above the bottom of the ocean, lurking around in
search for their next prey.
Giant grenadiers are apex predators in the northern Pacific, and their main meal is squid.
They’re actually one of the most abundant species in the northern part of the pacific
ocean!
So if they’re so abundant, why don’t we eat it?
Well, it’s because grenadiers are much fishier than usual, have an unusually soft texture,
and have low protein.
Basically, grenadier don’t look, smell, or taste appetizing!
1 - Gulper eel
Gulper eels are quite literally just that.
An animal with a mouth so large, it only needs to gulp down its prey!
Gulper eels are very different from the rest of the eel community.
It lacks pelvic fins, swim bladders, and scales.
Its muscle segments have a “V-shape”, while other fish have “W-shaped” muscle
segments.
Being one of the many bioluminescent species of the bottom of the sea, the gulper eel has
a light-producing organ at the tip of its tail.
With its tail, it’s able to flash a pink-reddish light that’s extremely useful.
It helps the gulper eel lure its prey in so it can snatch it with its enormous mouth!
Here's what's next!