From what the trench is, to the mysteries that lie within it, join me as we explore
what did scientists really see in the Mariana Trench?
Let's talk frankly here, the oceans of the world are massive.
It does cover 70% of our world, and not just on the surface, but under it as well.
Between the seven oceans there's so much water and depth that if you actually deconstructed
the entire world's landmass and put it into all the oceans evenly, there would still be
enough ocean to go 2 miles deep.
And that's just an estimate, there's probably even more water down there than we realize
as you'll understand.
Let's start with a human, a human on top of the ocean is quite literally a spec.
And even if you were to put a large animal beside it like an elephant or a giraffe, the
spec wouldn't be much large as the ocean is that vast and deep.
Furthermore, despite our technology, there are limits to what we can do within the ocean
itself.
For example, if you love scuba diving, you'll know that there are limits to what you can
do.
Sure, some gear is better suited for diving than others and can thus allow deeper dives,
but the average for recreational diving is only about 120 feet.
Which compared to the size and scale of the ocean is paltry at best.
Furthermore, with shipwrecks like the Lusitania, you'll find that the "bottom" of the ocean
isn't as consistent as one might think.
The Lusitania for example was over 700 feet long, yet it was found in waters that were
only about 300 feet deep.
So if there was something down there to cause it to fall unevenly, it would actually be
sticking out of the water, which would've made it easier to find actually.
But again, even 300 feet deep isn't even close to what the oceans have to offer, they go
so much deeper than that.
Not that you should do this on your own, for if you dare to go beyond 300 feet into the
oceans with standard, or even above standard, fishing gear you'll find yourself struggling
in those depths because of decompression sickness.
That being said, the world record for free diving is actually just over 700 feet into
the depths.
Which is very impressive, not to mention very dangerous, and that diver, Herbert Nitsch,
is very lucky to have made it not just down there, but back alive.
Especially since he did this...in one breath.
As for the scuba diving world record, that one belongs to Ahmed Gabr, who went an incredible
1089 feet below the oceans depths.
Both of these are truly incredible, and true feats of humanity pushing the bounds of what
they can do.
And yet, that's still only a mere fraction of what the ocean can be in terms of its depths.
In context, the "average" depth of the ocean is estimated to be about 12,000 feet from
surface to bottom.
Which means that Ahmed Gabr didn't even reach 1/12 of the oceans depths.
And it is not just people who struggle to go that low, certain sea animals can't do
it either.
For example, the Blue Whale, the biggest whale on Earth, can only go a little over 1600 feet.
And United States Submarines can only match what the Blue Whales can do, for going any
deeper can result in the oceans natural pressure crushing said submarine like a tin can.
Which just goes to show that whether it be man, machine, or beast, the oceans depths
are not for everyone.
And that leads us to the Mariana Trench, which in many ways is the deepest part of the ocean
that we know about.
This is mainly because the Trench is 36,000 feet below sea level.
It's so deep, that if you don't have a specially made craft, the pressure of the ocean would
crush you in an instant.
Furthermore, because of how deep it is, there is no light from the sun or sky that reaches
down there, so thus the only lights you'll have are the ones on your ship.
Fun fact, only four humans in history have ever been able to go to the Mariana Trench.
The first two were in 1960.
Swiss Oceanographer Jacques Piccard and USN Lieutenant Don Walsh went down in a special
submarine and are in fact the two humans to go the deepest into the ocean.
However, they only lasted about 20 minutes before their submarine had to be surfaced
because of the pressure of the ocean.
The other came 52 years later in the form of the one and only James Cameron, who went
down in a single man pod and stayed there for quite some time before surfacing back
up.
Then, in 2019, American Victor Vescovo’s took a sub and actually hit the very bottom
of the Trench, and stayed there for four hours.
While their accomplishments are noteworthy in every way, it goes to show that while they've
been to the bottom of the Trench, or close to it, they don't really know everything that's
done there.
Until we get a craft down there that can be there for extended periods, there's no way
of knowing all that resides with the Mariana Trench.
What's more, there are some who believe that there are places nearby that are even DEEPER
than the Trench, though this has not been definitively proven.
But let's get to the heart of matter.
What have scientists seen within the Mariana Trench?
What signs of life or other things have been encountered or viewed down there?
Well honestly, that's a bit of a tricky question.
Because for the longest periods of time, or at the very least since we knew about the
Mariana Trench, we didn't believe that there was anything down there.
And while we did have two people go and reach the Trench in 1960, they didn't have the tools
necessary to truly explore it.
Nor the time as we mentioned.
However, James Cameron's adventure allowed scientists to get a more notion of what was
down there, and it's a lot more than you would expect.
First and foremost, he found loads of microorganisms and even microbial mats.
Furthermore, there were plenty of bacteria that were more than happy to live in the lightless
and cold waters of the Trench.
Given how life works on Earth, that shouldn't be too much of a surprise.
But the more that Cameron looked around (and the other expeditions both manned and unmanned),
the more that he found.
Including...bigger things...
Before we talk about said bigger things, be sure to like the video and subscribe to the
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So what other things have lived or do live in the Mariana Trench?
Well we'll never fully know the extent of things that Cameron and others found because
scientists aren't willing to show all that they found, but some things have been released.
For example, they did confirm that they see massive clams, and unique jellyfish within
the Mariana Trench.
This is impressive because anything, hard-shelled or soft-bodied, would be under ENORMOUS pressure
from the waters themselves.
So to survive there means that they've adapted to the waters.
However, Camerons' and others expeditions also showed that there are more mysterious
creatures down there that they don't know or explain.
One example was a fish that was discovered on the way to the bottom of the Trench that
looked like no Fish ever seen before.
And at one point, a metalic-shaped entity appeared on sensors during decent, and actually
cut out contact with the craft.
When the craft returned contact, the entity was gone.
Going back to the Jellyfish, the one that they found within the Trench was unlike anything
they had ever seen before.
It had an "alien-like" body, and it glowed red and yellow.
The glowing can be attributed to Bioluminescence, for as noted, there is no light down in the
Mariana Trench via the sun.
So many aquatic species actually glow in order to make sure they can see and avoid predators
at times.
Heading now to the more basic of creatures, there are a series of crustaceans that are
like shrimp on the floor of the Mariana Trench that are both familiar, but still atypical.
How are these atypical?
That would be because of their size.
You see up on the surface, shrimp only get to a certain size.
But on the floor of the Trench?
They apparently were over 1 foot in size.
Could you imagine if Red Lobster got a hold of them?
There are also some terrors that have been documented within the Trench, such as the
Goblin Shark, the Angler Fish, the Barreleye Fish, the Hatchet Fish, and much, much more.
How about a Giant Toxic Amoeba?
Or a small Octopus called the Dumbo Octopus that is one of the deadliest of its species?
Or the Frilled Shark, which is a remnant from the age of dinosaurs?
Yeah, that lives in the Trench as well.
But along the lines of the Frilled Shark, there are rumors and beliefs as to what ELSE
could be down there.
Many are wondering if there is something even deadlier lying within the Trench waiting to
be found or awakened.
We speak of course of...The Megalodon.
For those who don't know, the Megalodon was the Apex Predator of the ancient world.
It lived about 23 million plus years ago, and through it came a harrowing look at the
feeding frenzy that was the ancient world.
This wasn't just an ancient shark, it was a 60 foot multi-ton behemoth that would eat
just about anything in sight.
It was so aggressive and huge that it needed to eat 1-2 tons of food A DAY just to survive.
And because of its powerful teeth, few, if any, creatures could actually harm it outside
of other Megalodons.
If you're wondering, "was this creature really real?" the answer is yes.
We have plenty of bones, jaws, and tons of teeth from Megalodons that have died and fossilized.
Although ironically when the Megalodon teeth were first discovered they were so big (almost
a foot at times) that they were felt to be rocks instead of teeth.
Irony.
Anyway, a series of events led to the Megalodons dying out, not the least of which was massive
extinction events on Earth leading to a lesser amount of food to eat.
This turned the Megalodon's into cannibals and their numbers plummeted after that.
However, with the finds of the Frilled Fish and the Coelacanth, we know that ancient creatures
have survived the time of the dinosaurs and beyond, and MANY rumors have claimed that
the Megalodon could be out there somewhere.
Including in the depths of the Mariana Trench where no one would find it unless they went
down there.
So...could it be down there?
Objectively speaking?
Yes, yes it could.
As we've already outlined, there are plenty of species of animals in the Marina Trench.
From single and multi-celled organisms, to fish, to octopusses, invertebrates, crustaceans,
and more.
All of whom had to adapt to the harsh conditions and pressures of the Trench in order to survive.
So naturally, if the Megalodon was still alive, it too would have to adapt to the Trench,
its pressures, its temperatures, and its lack of light.
It would be difficult, but not impossible.
To that end, what the Megalodon looks like "now" if it was in the Trench would likely
be different than how it was back in ancient times.
The biggest problem that it would have in surviving down there is that while there are
tons of life down there in the Trench, they're usually very small creatures.
Recall that we noted that the Megalodon had to eat about 1-2 tons of food a day in order
to survive.
While you COULD get that amount from eating the species in the Trench, it would be a LOT
of eating.
In the ancient world, the Megalodon would eat massive whales, dolphins, and other sea
creatures that have a lot of girth.
A lot of food for very little hunting.
But here in the Trench?
It would be the opposite.
It would be a case of a lot of effort to get a lot of food.
Again, not impossible, but it would be a challenge, especially for the earliest versions of the
shark.
In truth, until we officially see one out there in the Trench or the waters surrounding
them, we'll never truly know if the Megalodon is alive.
Sure, we can guess it's not based on certain facts and figures, but we've been wrong before
about species being extinct.
And that brings us to the final bit about the Mariana Trench.
Despite us having gone down there via manned and unmanned probes and craft, there is still
a LOT that we don't know about the Trench.
Because it's dark, a very up close and personal method must be used in order to helps us look
for everything and document everything.
And the pressures of the waters make it so nothing but the most equipped craft can go
down there, and even then, it's only for short periods of time.
We already know for certain that there are creatures within the Mariana Trench that don't
live anywhere else in the world.
That's a fact.
But how many MORE of these unknown creatures are down there?
It would be foolish to hazard a guess.
And that's why there are so many people who are aiming to go down to the Trench and learn
more about it.
Because the more we dive down there, the more we will be able to find what lies beneath
the waves, and when we discover the full extent of life down there?
It'll open a whole new world of discovery.
Thanks for watching everyone!
What do you think of this look at the Mariana Trench and the things that may or may not
live in it?
Which of these creatures do you think is the scariest of the lot from within the Trench?
Do you think we'll ever be able to research the Trench in full?
Let me know in the comments below, be sure to subscribe, and I'll see you next time on
the channel!