Incredible Facts
The oceans cover about 70 percent earth's surface and provide about half of the air we breathe through microscopic phytoplankton.
Despite all this, the oceans remain the most big mystery. Thus, 95 percent of the world's oceans and 99 percent of the ocean floor remain unexplored.
Here are examples of the most unimaginable creatures that live in the depths of the ocean.
1. Smallmouth macropinna
smallmouth macropinna (macropinna microstoma) belongs to a group of deep-sea fish that have developed a unique anatomical structure to fit your lifestyle. These fish are extremely fragile, and fish specimens that have been taken by fishermen and explorers are deformed due to pressure differences.
Most unique characteristic of this fish is its soft, transparent head and barrel-shaped eyes. Being normally fixed upwards with green "lens caps" for filtering sunlight, the eyes of the Smallmouth Macropinna can rotate and retract.
In fact, what appear to be eyes are sensory organs. Real eyes are located under the canopy of the forehead.
2. Bathysaurus
Batysaurus (Bathysaurus ferox) sounds like a dinosaur, which in principle is not far from the truth. Bathysaurus ferox refers to deep-sea lizards that live in the tropical and subtropical seas of the world, at a depth of 600-3,500 m. Its length reaches 50-65 cm.
He is considered the deepest living super predator in the world and everything that comes in his way is immediately devoured. Once the jaws of this devilish fish snap shut, it's game over. Even her tongue is studded with razor-sharp fangs.
It is hardly possible to look at her face without a shudder, and it is even more difficult for her to find a mate. But this does not bother this formidable underwater inhabitant too much, since he has both male and female genitals.
3. Viper fish
Viper fish is one of the most unusual deep sea fish. Known as common howliod(Chauliodus sloani), it is one of the ocean's most ruthless predators. This fish is easily recognizable by its large mouth and sharp fang-like teeth. In fact, these fangs are so large that they do not fit in her mouth, wrapping closer to her eyes.
The viper fish uses its sharp teeth to pierce its prey by swimming towards it at a very high speed. Most of these creatures have an expandable stomach, which allows them to swallow fish larger than themselves in one sitting. At the end of its spine is a luminous organ that the fish uses to attract its prey.
It lives in tropical and temperate waters in different parts light at a depth of 2,800 m.
4 Deep Sea Monkfish
Deep Sea Monkfish ( Deep Sea Anglerfish) looks like a creature from a sci-fi world. Perhaps he belongs to the ugliest animals on our planet and lives in the most inhospitable environment - on a lonely dark seabed.
There are over 200 types sea devils, most of which live in the gloomy depths of the Atlantic and Antarctic oceans.
The monkfish lure its prey with its elongated dorsal spine, curving it around the lure while the end of the spine glows to attract unsuspecting fish to its mouth and sharp teeth. Their mouth is so large and their body so flexible that they can swallow prey twice their size.
5. Piglet squid
Known as Helicocranchia pfefferi, this cute creature is a real outlet after the awesome toothy fish that are associated with the deep expanses. This species of squid lives about 100 m below the ocean surface. Due to its deep ocean habitat, its behavior has not been sufficiently studied. These inhabitants are not the fastest swimmers.
Their body is almost completely transparent, with the exception of some cells containing pigments called chromatophores, thanks to which these inhabitants acquire such a charming appearance. They are also known for their luminous organs, called photophores, which are located under each eye.
6 Japanese Spider Crab
The leg span of the spider crab reaches 4 meters, with a body width of about 37 cm and a weight of about 20 kg. Japanese spider crabs can live up to 100 years, just like the largest and oldest lobsters.
These subtle inhabitants of the sea day are ocean cleaners, cracking down on dead deep-sea inhabitants.
Eyes Japanese crab located in front with two horns between the eyes, which shorten with age. As a rule, they live at a depth of 150 to 800 m, but most often at a depth of 200 m.
Japanese spider crabs are considered a real delicacy, but in recent years the catch of these crabs has been on the decline thanks to a program to protect these deep-sea species.
7. Drop fish
This fish lives off the coast of Australia and Tasmania at a depth of about 800 m. Given the depth of the water in which it swims, a drop fish does not have a swim bladder, as in most fish, since it is not very effective at strong pressure water. Her skin is made up of a gelatinous mass that is slightly denser than water, allowing her to float above the ocean floor without much hassle. The fish grows up to 30 cm in length, feeding mainly on sea urchins and mollusks that swim by.
Despite being inedible, this fish is often caught along with other prey such as lobsters and crabs, putting it at risk of extinction. Distinctive external characteristic fish drops is her unhappy facial expression.
8 Tongue Eating Woodlice
Surprisingly, the snapper himself does not suffer much from this process, continuing to live and eat after the wood lice found in him permanent place residence.
9 Frilled Shark
People have rarely seen the frilled shark, which prefers to stay at a depth of about 1500 m below the ocean surface. Considered living fossils frilled sharks actually have many characteristics of ancestors that swam the seas back in the days of the dinosaurs.
It is believed that frilled sharks capture their prey by bending their body and rushing forward like a snake. Its long and flexible jaw allows it to swallow its prey whole, while its many small, needle-sharp teeth prevent its prey from escaping. It feeds mainly on cephalopods, but also bony fish and sharks.
10. Lionfish (or Lionfish)
It is believed that the first lionfish or Pterois, which has a beautiful color and large spiny fins, appeared in sea waters on the shores of Florida in the early 90s of the last century. Since then, they have spread throughout the Caribbean, becoming a real punishment for marine life.
These fish eat other species, and it seems that they eat constantly. They themselves have long poisonous thorns which protects them from other predators. In the Atlantic Ocean, local fish are not familiar with them and do not recognize the danger, and the only kind here that can eat them are the lionfish themselves, since they are not only aggressive predators, but also cannibals.
Due to the poison that their thorns release, the bites become even more painful, and for those who suffer from heart disease or allergic reactions, it can be fatal.
Almost the entire surface of the Earth has been studied by man. But the depths of the sea keep mysteries that are revealed gradually. With the advent of opportunities to dive deeper into the abyss, we find unusual deep-sea creatures there. Some of them we would like to present to you. Not all of them are beautiful in appearance, but it is impossible to deny them originality.
Medusa Atoll- a rather predatory creature living at a depth where Sun rays don't penetrate, let alone divers. Its feature is the ability to glow bright red. This happens when the jellyfish senses danger is approaching.
blue angel- very little creature which can easily fit in the palm of a person. It has an amazing shape and color: it looks like a soaring angel, or a miniature dragon, blue on top and silver below. This disguise helps him protect himself from predators, both in water and in the air. An angel can easily float to the surface of the sea by swallowing an air bubble.
Another sea creature- Sponge-harp. As the name implies, it is shaped like a harp that clings to sea mud, and with its upper sticky tips it catches small prey.
Funny octopus Dumbo gets its name from its resemblance to a Disney cartoon elephant, although it is much smaller than a terrestrial mammal. When an octopus swims, it flaps its fins, which are exactly like elephant ears. There is very little information about him, since his habitat is very deep.
In cold sea depths ah lives the Yeti furry crab. Its claws are covered with fur, making crab-like on the Bigfoot. Life on great depth, where there is no light, has made the yeti completely blind.
Strange Fashionista Fish The bat lives at a depth of 200 meters. She does not know how to swim, but only moves her shell-covered body along the bottom, using her legs-fins to move. She is called a fashionista for the bright red color of her slightly protruding lips, which makes her quite funny.
Handsome slug Felimare Picta
lives among. Extravagance is given to him by the coloring and shape of the body: a rich blue-yellow color of the body, framed by a frill. He does not have his own house (like an ordinary mollusk), because he uses a special tool for protection - acidic sweat, released throughout the body. It is unlikely that anyone would want to get involved with such prey.
A mollusk lives in the Atlantic Ocean, nicknamed "Flamingo Tongue". He is inseparable from his shell, which he carefully guards with his own body, and in which he hides in case of danger.
Seahorses whose body is "seated" many leaves, and are called leafy dragons. They are one of the best mimicry craftsmen. The leaves do not interfere at all and do not help him swim, the dragon moves with the help of two small fins.
Our Earth is 70% water, and most of these vast water (including underwater) expanses remain poorly explored. Therefore, it is not at all surprising that the most amazing and strange representatives animal world live in the depths of the sea. Today in our article we will talk about the most incredible deep-sea fish Mariana Trench and other ocean depths. Many of these fish were discovered relatively recently, and many of them amaze us, people, with their incredible and even fantastic appearance, structural features, habits and way of life.
Bassogigas - the deepest sea fish in the world
So, get acquainted, bassogigas - a fish that holds the absolute record for the deepest habitat. For the first time, bassogigas was caught at the bottom of a trough near Puerto Rico at a depth of 8 km (!) from the John Eliot research ship.
Bassogigas.
As you can see, in appearance, our deep-sea record holder differs little from ordinary fish, although in fact, despite the relatively typical appearance, his habits and lifestyle are still little studied by zoologists, because research at such a great depth is a very difficult task.
drop fish
But already our next hero can hardly be reproached for being “ordinary”, get acquainted - a drop fish, which, in our opinion, has the strangest and most fantastic appearance.
Like an alien from outer space, right? A drop fish lives on the deep ocean floor near Australia and Tasmania. The size of an adult representative of the species is no more than 30 cm. In front of it is a process resembling our nose, and on the sides, respectively, there are two eyes. A drop fish does not have developed muscles and resembles something in its way of life - it slowly swims with open mouth in anticipation that the prey, and these are usually small invertebrates, will itself be nearby. After that, the drop fish swallows the prey. She herself is inedible and, moreover, is on the verge of extinction.
And here is our next hero - a sea bat, which in its appearance does not even look like a fish.
But, nevertheless, he is still a fish, although he cannot swim. The bat moves along the seabed, pushing off with its fins, so similar to legs. The bat lives in the warm deep waters of the oceans. Most big representatives species reach 50 cm in length. Bats are predators and feed on various small fish, but since they cannot swim, they lure their prey with a special bulb growing directly from their heads. This bulb has a specific smell that attracts fish, as well as worms and crustaceans (they are also eaten by our hero), while the bat itself patiently sits in ambush and, as soon as potential prey is nearby, it sharply grabs it.
Anglerfish - deep sea fish with a flashlight
The deep-sea anglerfish, which lives, including in the depths of the famous Mariana Trench, is especially remarkable for its appearance, due to the presence of a real flashlight rod on its head (hence its name).
The angler's flashlight rod is not only for beauty, but also serves the most practical purposes, with its help our hero also lures prey - various small fish, although due to his not small appetite and the presence of sharp teeth, the angler does not hesitate to attack and on larger representatives of the fish kingdom. Interesting fact: anglers themselves often become victims of their special gluttony, as they grab big fish due to the peculiarities of the structure of the teeth, he can no longer release prey, as a result of which he himself chokes and dies.
But back to his amazing biological flashlight, why does it glow? In fact, light is provided by special luminous bacteria that live in close symbiosis with the anglerfish.
Apart from its main name deep sea fish- angler has others: " sea Devil”,“ Monkfish ”, because in its appearance, and habits, it can be safely attributed to deep-sea monster fish.
The side-eye has perhaps the most unusual structure among deep-sea fish: a transparent head through which he can see with his tubular eyes.
Although the fish was first discovered by scientists back in 1939, it still remains poorly understood. It lives in the Bering Sea, near the western coast of the USA and Canada, as well as near the coast of northern Japan.
giant amoeba
American oceanologists 6 years ago discovered living creatures at a record depth of 10 km. - giant amoeba. True, they no longer belong to fish, so bassogigas still occupies the championship among fish, but it is these giant amoebas that are absolute champions among the living beings that live on greatest depth- the bottom of the Mariana Trench, the deepest known on Earth. These amoebae were discovered with the help of a special deep-sea camera, and research on their life continues to this day.
Deep sea fish video
And in addition to our article, we invite you to watch an interesting video about 10 incredible creatures of the Mariana Trench.
The oceans are home to several million amazing species. sea creatures. Given this vast biodiversity, it's no surprise that these marine life come in every possible shape, color, and size. Some of them, especially the deep-sea inhabitants, look scary and disgusting, but the appearance of others is simply breathtaking. Today we will take a closer look.
1. Mandarin Fish(Synchiropus splendidus)
Found in the tropical waters of the Western Pacific, mandarin duck is a small coral fish up to 6 cm long, known for its strange shape and beautiful intense coloration.
(Cerianthus membranaceus)
photo: https://www.flickr.com/photos/oceanaeurope/
Dwells in various places in subtropical waters, the trumpet anemone is found in many different fluorescent colors and color combinations, making it a popular aquarium animal.
photo: Philippe Portallier
3 Flamingo Tongue(Cyphoma gibbosa)
Native to various Caribbean and Atlantic coral reefs, this colorful snail feeds on coral polyps.
4. Blue surgeon(Paracanthurus hepatus)
photo: Aaron Gilcrease
The fish is famous for its sharp spikes on its tail, which are said to resemble a surgeon's scalpels.
5. Mantis shrimp(Stomatopoda)
photo: https://www.flickr.com/photos/jennofarc/
The waters of the Indian and Pacific oceans became the home for mantis shrimp. These are some of the most fascinating and colorful creatures in the sea. These beautiful crustaceans have the most complex eyes in the world.
6. French angel(Pomacanthus paru)
photo: Paul Asman
Native to the western part Atlantic Ocean, as well as from the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean, the French angel is an amazing tropical fish with a dark color that is perfectly complemented by yellow stripes.
7. Seahorse-rag-picker(Phycodurus eques)
photo: Dmytro Kochetov
This seahorse found in the waters of Australia is one of the most unusual and fascinating sea creatures. Reaches up to 20 cm in length. He also falls into 25 most amazing sea creatures.
8 Sea Spiders(Pantopoda)
Completely unrelated to what we are used to common spiders, sea spiders are much simpler in form and function, but almost as common as their terrestrial namesakes. With over 1,300 species, these tiny marine arthropods can be found in most parts of the world.
9. Medusa flower hat(Olindias formosa)
photo: Josh More
Highly rare view, which belongs to the Hydrozoa class, while true jellyfish belong to the Scyphozoa class. flower hat can be found in the western Pacific off southern Japan, and has a painful sting.
10 Harlequin Crab(Lissocarcinus laevis)
photo: Rene Cazalens
Among 25 most amazing sea creatures a stunning harlequin crab that is found along with sea anemones and pipe anemones, not far from coastlines corals and rocky reefs.
11. Apogon tulle(Pterapogon kauderni)
Wonderful tropical fish with silver coloration and vertical black stripes. An endangered species, which is found only in a relatively small area around the island of Banggai in Indonesia.
(Aetobatus narinari)
photo: Xabier Mina
Reaching a width of up to 3 m, spotted bracken is an active swimmer and predator known to feed on invertebrates and small fish.
13. Clownfish(Amphiprion percula)
photo: Jun Ushiki
Bright Orange color with three characteristic white stripes of clownfish, it is one of the most recognizable and popular among all reef dwellers. The fish reaches approximately 11 cm in length.
14. Harlequin Shrimp(Hymenocera picta)
photo: https://www.flickr.com/photos/luko/
Like many others bright views in 25 most amazing sea creatures, the harlequin shrimp is a popular aquarium inhabitant. In this species white body With big spots. Males are slightly smaller than females.
15. Blue dragon(Glaucus atlanticus)
Also known as blue glaucus and is a poisonous mollusc. With a length of up to 3 cm, this curious animal is found in all temperate and tropical waters.
16. Discus fish(Symphysodon)
photo: Vera Le Bail
Native to the Amazon River discus fish is one of the most beautiful tropical fish in the world. Because of its distinctive shape and bright coloring, it is called the "king of the aquarium".
17. Venus anemone - sea anemone(Actinoscyphia aurelia)
photo: https://commons.wikimedia.org
Venus anemone, named after the Venus flytrap plant due to its resemblance and feeding mechanism. This sea anemone is a major deep sea creature, which feeds by trapping food in its "trap mouth".
18. Royal starfish(Astropectenarticulatus)
One of the most remarkable representatives of the genus, royal starfish - starfish, which most often lives on the middle continental shelf of about 20-30 m in the western Atlantic. It is a carnivore that feeds on shellfish.
19. ClamBerghia Coerulescens
photo: Rodrigo Pascual
A species of sea slug that can be found in the Central and Western Mediterranean, as well as in the North Atlantic Ocean. This stunningly colorful creature reaches up to 7 cm in length.
20. Zebra Lionfish(Pterois volitans)
One of the most iconic tropical fish, a popular delicacy in some parts of the world, but much more valued as an aquarium inhabitant.
21. Long-snouted European seahorse(Hippocampus hippocampus)
endemic mediterranean sea and some parts North Atlantic, the long-snouted European seahorse is a medium-sized species, up to 13 cm high, that lives in shallow muddy waters, in estuaries or in meadows seaweed. Disappearing view.
22. Painted triggerfish, or prickly rinekant(Rhinecanthus aculeatus)
photo: Joachim S. Müller
25 most amazing sea creatures represents a wonderful tropical fish found on reefs in the Indo-Pacific region. The painted triggerfish feeds mainly on reef and algae. The diet of fish contains small crustaceans, worms, sea urchins and snails.
23. Green sea turtle(Chelónia mýdas)
The green turtle is a large, heavy sea turtle with a broad, smooth shell. Weighing up to 320 kg, the green sea turtle is one of the largest sea turtles in the world.
24. Clam Phyllidia Babai
photo: Iain Fraser
A species of nudibranch that is found in several areas of the Pacific Ocean such as Papua New Guinea, South Korea and Australia.
25. Crown of thorns, or acanthaster(Acanthaster planci)
photo: Joey Jojo
A starfish that is found in the Indo-Pacific region. Despite its beautiful appearance, the crown of thorns is often considered a pest because a large number of these creatures pose a significant threat coral reefs especially the Great Barrier Reef.
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Yesterday, September 26, was World Maritime Day. In this regard, we bring to your attention a selection of the most unusual sea creatures.
World Maritime Day has been celebrated since 1978 on one of the days of the last week of September. This international holiday was created in order to draw public attention to the problems of pollution of the seas and the disappearance of animal species living in them. Indeed, over the past 100 years, according to the UN, some fish species, including cod and tuna, have been caught by 90%, and every year about 21 million barrels of oil enter the seas and oceans.
All this causes irreparable damage to the seas and oceans and can lead to the death of their inhabitants. These include those that we will discuss in our selection.
1 Octopus Dumbo
This animal got its name due to the ear-like formations protruding from the top of its head, which resemble the ears of the Disney elephant Dumbo. However, scientific name this animal is Grimpoteuthis. These cute creatures live at depths of 3,000 to 4,000 meters and are among the rarest octopuses.
The largest individuals of this genus were 1.8 meters long and weighed about 6 kg. Most time, these octopuses swim above the seabed in search of food - polychaete worms and various crustaceans. By the way, unlike other octopuses, these swallow their prey whole.
2. Short-nosed bat
This fish attracts attention, first of all, with its unusual appearance, namely, bright red lips on the front of the body. As previously thought, they are necessary to attract marine life, which feeds on the bat. However, it was soon found out that this function is performed by a small formation on the head of the fish, called an eska. It emits a specific smell that attracts worms, crustaceans and small fish.
The unusual "image" of the bat complements the no less amazing way of its movement in the water. Being a poor swimmer, he walks along the bottom on his pectoral fins.
The short-nosed bat is a deep-sea fish, and lives in the waters near the Galapagos Islands.
3. Branched brittle stars
These deep sea animals have many branched rays. Moreover, each of the rays can be 4-5 times larger than the body of these brittle stars. With the help of them, the animal catches zooplankton and other food. Like other echinoderms, branched brittle stars have no blood, and gas exchange is carried out using a special water-vascular system.
Usually branched brittle stars weigh about 5 kg, their rays can reach 70 cm in length (in branched brittle stars Gorgonocephalus stimpsoni), and the body is 14 cm in diameter.
4. Trumpet-snout harlequin
This is one of the least studied species that can, if necessary, merge with the bottom or imitate a twig of algae.
It is near the thickets of the underwater forest at a depth of 2 to 12 meters that these creatures try to stay in order to dangerous situation they were able to acquire the color of the ground or the nearest plant. In the “calm” time for harlequins, they slowly swim upside down in search of food.
Looking at a photo of the harlequin pipe-nosed, it is easy to guess that they are related to seahorses and needles. However, they differ markedly in appearance: for example, the harlequin has longer fins. By the way, this form of fins helps the ghost fish to bear offspring. With the help of elongated ventral fins covered with inside filiform outgrowths, the female harlequin forms a special bag in which she bears eggs.
5 Yeti Crab
In 2005, an expedition exploring the Pacific Ocean discovered extremely unusual crabs that were covered with "fur" at a depth of 2,400 meters. Because of this feature (as well as coloration), they were called "yeti crabs" (Kiwa hirsuta).
However, it was not fur in the truest sense of the word, but long feathery bristles covering the chest and limbs of crustaceans. According to scientists, many filamentous bacteria live in the bristles. These bacteria purify water from toxic substances emitted hydrothermal springs, next to which "crabs-yeti" live. And there is also an assumption that these same bacteria serve as food for crabs.
6. Australian cone
This dwelling in coastal waters the Australian states of Queensland, New South Wales and Western Australia are found on reefs and in bays. Due to its small fins and hard scales, it swims extremely slowly.
Being a nocturnal species, the Australian pine cone spends the day in caves and under rock ledges. Yes, in one marine reserve in New South Wales, a small group of cones has been recorded hiding under the same ledge for at least 7 years. At night, this species leaves its shelter and goes hunting on sandbars, illuminating its path with the help of luminous organs, photophores. This light is produced by a colony of symbiotic Vibrio fischeri bacteria that have settled in photophores. Bacteria can leave photophores and just live in sea water. However, their luminescence dims a few hours after they leave the photophores.
Interestingly, the light emitted by the luminous organs is also used by fish to communicate with relatives.
7. Lyre Sponge
The scientific name of this animal is Chondrocladia lyra. It is a species of carnivorous deep-sea sponge, and was first discovered in a Californian at a depth of 3300-3500 meters in 2012.
The sponge lyre gets its name from its harp or lyre-like appearance. So, this animal is kept on the seabed with the help of rhizoids, root-like formations. From their upper part stretches from 1 to 6 horizontal stolons, and on them vertical "branches" with spatulate structures at the end are located at an equal distance from each other.
Since the lyre sponge is carnivorous, it captures prey, such as crustaceans, with these “branches”. And as soon as she manages to do this, she will begin to secrete a digestive membrane that will envelop her prey. Only after that, the lyre sponge will be able to suck in the split prey through the pores.
The largest recorded sponge-lyre reaches almost 60 centimeters in length.
8. Clown
Living in almost all tropical and subtropical seas and oceans, clownfish are one of the fastest predators on the planet. After all, they are able to catch prey in less than a second!
So, having seen a potential victim, the "clown" will track it down, remaining motionless. Of course, the prey will not notice it, because the fish of this family usually resemble a plant or a harmless animal with their appearance. In some cases, when the prey comes closer, the predator will begin to move the esca, an outgrowth of the anterior dorsal fin that resembles a "fishing pole", which causes the prey to get even closer. And once a fish or other marine animal gets close enough to the clown, it will suddenly open its mouth and swallow the prey in just 6 milliseconds! Such an attack is so lightning fast that it cannot be seen without slow motion. Incidentally, the volume oral cavity fish while catching prey often increases 12 times.
In addition to the speed of the clowns, no less important role plays in their hunt unusual shape, color and texture of their cover, allowing these fish to mimic. Some clownfish resemble rocks or coral, while others resemble sponges or sea squirts. And in 2005, the Sargassum sea clown was discovered, which imitates algae. The "camouflage" of clowns can be so good that sea slugs often crawl on these fish, mistaking them for corals. However, they need "camouflage" not only for hunting, but also for protection.
Interestingly, during the hunt, the "clown" sometimes sneaks up on prey. He literally approaches her using his pectoral and ventral fins. These fish can walk in two ways. They can alternately move their pectoral fins without using their pelvic fins, or they can transfer body weight with pectoral fins on the abdomen. Gait in the latter way can be called a slow gallop.
9. Smallmouth macropinna
The small-mouthed macropinna living in the depths of the northern part of the Pacific Ocean has a very unusual appearance. She has a transparent forehead, through which she can look out for prey with her tubular eyes.
A unique fish was discovered in 1939. However, at that time it was not possible to study it well enough, in particular the structure of the cylindrical eyes of fish, which can move from a vertical position to a horizontal one and vice versa. This was only done in 2009.
Then it became clear that the bright green eyes of this small fish (it does not exceed 15 cm in length) are in the head chamber filled with a transparent liquid. This chamber is covered by a dense, but at the same time elastic transparent shell, which is attached to the scales on the body of the small-mouth macropinna. Bright green color fish eyes due to the presence of a specific yellow pigment in them.
Since the small-mouthed macropinna is characterized by a special structure of the eye muscles, its cylindrical eyes can be both in a vertical position and in a horizontal position, when the fish can look directly through its transparent head. Thus, the macropinna can notice the prey, both when it is in front of it, and when it swims above it. And as soon as the prey - usually zooplankton - is at the level of the fish's mouth, it quickly grabs it.
10 Sea Spider
These arthropods, which are not actually spiders, or at least arachnids, are common in the Mediterranean and Caribbean Seas, as well as in the Arctic and Southern Oceans. Today, more than 1300 species of this class are known, some of which reach 90 cm in length. However, most sea spiders are still small in size.
These animals have long paws, which is usually about eight. Also, sea spiders have a special appendage (proboscis) that they use to suck food into the intestines. Most of these animals are carnivorous and feed on cnidarians, sponges, polychaete worms and bryozoans. So, for example, sea spiders often feed on sea anemones: they insert their proboscis into the body of an anemone and begin to suck in its contents. And since sea anemones are usually larger than sea spiders, they almost always survive such “torture”.
Sea spiders live in different parts of the world: in the waters of Australia, New Zealand, off the US Pacific coast, in the Mediterranean and Caribbean seas, as well as in the Arctic and Southern oceans. Moreover, they are most common in shallow water, but can be found at a depth of up to 7000 meters. Often they hide under rocks or camouflage themselves among algae.
11. Cyphoma gibbosum
The color of the shell of this orange-yellow snail seems very bright. However, only the soft tissues of a live mollusk have this color, and not the shell. Usually Cyphoma gibbosum snails reach 25-35 mm in length, and their shell is 44 mm.
These animals live in warm waters the western part of the Atlantic Ocean, including in the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico and in the waters of the Lesser Antilles at a depth of up to 29 meters.
12. Mantis shrimp
Living at shallow depths in tropical and subtropical seas, mantis shrimp have the most complex eyes in the world. If a person can distinguish 3 primary colors, then the mantis shrimp - 12. Also, these animals perceive ultraviolet and infrared light and see different types light polarization.
Many animals are able to see linear polarization. For example, fish and crustaceans use it to navigate and locate prey. However, only mantis shrimp are able to see both linear polarization and the rarer, circular polarization.
Such eyes enable mantis shrimp to recognize different types corals, their prey and predators. In addition, during the hunt, it is important for cancer to deliver accurate blows with its pointed grasping legs, which is also helped by its eyes.
By the way, sharp, serrated segments on grasping legs also help mantis shrimp to cope with a prey or predator, which can be much larger in size. So, during the attack, the mantis shrimp makes several quick kicks with its legs, which causes serious damage to the victim or kills her.
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