The Grimpoteuthis, otherwise known as the “Dumbo Octopus” because of its ear like
fins, is one of the weirdest inhabitants of the deepest darkest depths of the ocean.
They are found in oceans all over the world but are very rarely seen because they live
on the bottom of the sea, unlike most species of octopi that live in shallow waters.
The Dumbo octopus swallows its prey whole, for that reason the size of its prey never
exceeds 2 mms.
A little less pretty is the Aye-Aye, this peculiar looking lemur isn’t winning any
awards for good looks.
Found only in the north-eastern parts of Madagascar.
It is categorised for its scary appearance and the people of Madagascar believe that
seeing an aye-aye predicts death.
If you think that’s weird, the hooded seal has an inflatable bladder in its head.
It can inflate a large red sack from its nostrils to either ward off predators or to impress
females.
If you don’t want to sleep tonight then say hello to the Promachoteuthis sulcus a
squid with actual human-like teeth.
We only know about this rare species because of a single specimen caught by a German research
vessel in the southern Atlantic ocean at a depth of 2,000 metres.
The prize for the most bored animal goes to the Cape rain frog, a species of frog endemic
to South Africa.
It is essentially a rock with arms, which can’t be much fun.
The unfortunate looking Naked Mole Rat is found in East Africa.
It has a highly attuned and usual set of physical traits that enable it to survive in an otherwise
harsh underground environment.
For example they have no pain transmitters in their skin and as a result feel no pain
when they are exposed to acid.
The Dugong is a large marine mammal related to the manatee and elephant.
They are basically the vacuum cleaners of the sea, feeding on underwater grasses with
their sensitive snouts.
Some believe Dugongs were the inspiration for ancient seafaring tales of mermaids and
sirens.
The superb bird of paradise is found in New Guinea.
The species is known for its unique courtship display.
The species has an unusually low population of females so competition amongst the males
is fierce.
This has led to the evolution of one of the most bizarre occurrences in all of the natural
world.
In order to find a mate first the male clears the dance floor by meticulously scrubbing
the floor using a leaf, until it’s smooth and clear.
The male then attracts a female with a loud call and next comes the dance, it folds its
feathers into a large fan shape, forming an eerie blue face and dances in a circle around
the female.
Even despite this spectacular display, the average female rejects around 20 potential
suitors before consenting to mate.
Probably the ugliest thing in the entire animal kingdom is the Blob Fish.
Seriously it was actually voted the world’s ugliest animal.
It inhabits the deep waters around the coasts of Australia, Tasmania and New Zealand.
It’s gelatinous mass of a skin helps it maintain buoyancy at 1,2000 metres below sea
level, where the pressure is several dozen times higher than at sea level.
It feeds off tiny floating matter and generally just makes other fish feel depressed.
The Galapagos Islands is home to a bat with lips.
Known as the Red-Lipped Batfish.
These peculiar looking fish aren’t very good swimmers and use their highly adapted
pectoral fins to walk on the ocean floor.
The goblin shark is a deep sea monster straight out of nightmares.
It is extremely rare and has been called a living fossil because it is the only living
representative of the Mitsukurinidae family.
A lineage some 125 million years old.
Specimens are rarely seen alive by humans because it lives at depths greater than 100
metres beneath the ocean’s surface.
The Glaucus atlanticus or more commonly known as a blue sea slug seems like it could easily
be an alien from another planet.
You can find these otherworldly creatures floating on the surface of warm waters in
the ocean.
It has a gas filled stomach to help it float.
And finally, we have Scotoplanes, commonly known as Sea Pigs because of their plump,
piggish appearance.
Sea Pigs live on the ocean floor at depths of over 1,000 metres, specifically on the
abyssal plain in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Ocean.
The obtain food by scuttling along the ocean floor and extracting organic matter from the
deep-sea mud.
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