Almost the entire surface of the Earth has been studied by humans. But the depths of the sea hold mysteries that are revealed gradually. With the advent of opportunities to dive deeper into the abyss, we find unusual deep-sea creatures there. We would like to present some of them to you. Not all of them are beautiful to look at, but they cannot be denied their originality.
Jellyfish Atoll- a rather predatory creature that lives at depths where the sun’s rays do not penetrate, not to mention underwater swimmers. Its peculiarity is the ability to glow bright red. This happens when the jellyfish senses danger is approaching.
Blue Angel- Very small creature, which easily fits 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 underneath. This camouflage 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 suggests, it is shaped like a harp, which clings to sea mud and uses its upper sticky tips to catch small prey.
Funny octopus Dumbo got its name due to its resemblance to the baby elephant from the Disney cartoon, although it is much smaller in size than an earthly mammal. When an octopus swims, it waves its fins, which are exactly like elephant ears. There is very little information about it, since its habitat is very deep.
The hairy crab Yeti lives in the cold depths of the sea. Its claws are covered with fur, making it look like a crab. Bigfoot. Living at great depths, where there is no light, made the yeti completely blind.
Strange fashionable fish The pipistrelle 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 fin legs to move. She is called a fashionista for the bright red color of her slightly protruding lips, making her look quite funny.
Handsome slug Felimare Picta lives among. What makes it extravagant is the coloring and shape of the body: the rich blue-yellow color of the body, framed by a frill. It does not have its own house (like an ordinary mollusk), because it uses a special remedy for protection - acidic sweat secreted throughout the body. It is unlikely that anyone would want to get involved with such prey.
A mollusk lives in the Atlantic Ocean, which was nicknamed "Flamingo Tongue". He is inseparable from his shell, which he carefully protects with his own body and into which he hides in case of danger.
Seahorses whose bodies are “seated” with many leaves, they are called deciduous dragons. They are one of the best masters of mimicry. The leaves do not interfere at all and do not help it swim; the dragon moves with the help of two small fins.
A representative of deep-sea fish is the drop fish, which lives at a depth of 600 meters. The blobfish is a deep-sea inhabitant that actively lives in Australia and Tasmania. Very rarely, a person himself can meet it, since it is on the verge of extinction.
Blob fish
The appearance features of the deep-sea creature are very unusual and strange. In the front area of the muzzle you can see a process, which some compare to a large nose. The eyes of the individual are small and are located next to the so-called nose so that it seems that the fish has a human face. Her mouth is quite large, the corners of her mouth are directed downwards, which is why her muzzle always seems sad and tired. It is thanks to its unusual and strange face that the blob fish occupies one of the first places in the ratings of unusual and strange sea creatures.
Peculiarities
Such a slow process reproduction is associated with another interesting fact about the drop fish. Usually she lays her eggs directly on the surface of the bottom and does not leave her clutch; she lies down on her eggs and sits on them until the first young hatch from them. This type of reproduction is common among deep-sea fish, which lay their eggs, which rise to the surface of the water and mix with plankton. The remaining deep-sea species usually descend to greater depths only when they reach sexual maturity and live there for the rest of their lives.
At the same time, the drop fish never leaves its habitat. The hatched young remain with their parent for some time and are actively protected by him until the moment comes when the individual becomes quite independent for further life.
These unusual fish live quite deep level in the ocean. Of all the deep-sea species, only sea devils, also known as anglerfish, live the strangest and most unusual lives.
These fish are very unpleasant appearance, covered with special spikes and plaques, are located at a depth of the ocean of 1.5–3 kilometers. The most unusual feature of monkfish- this is his fishing rod, which grows from dorsal fin and looms over his fierce muzzle. At the end of this rod there is a glowing gland that contains luminescent bacteria. Sea devils They use this device as bait.
Usually the prey itself swims towards this light, while the anglerfish quietly moves the fishing rod towards its mouth and at a certain time very quickly grabs the approaching prey. Some types of anglerfish have a fishing rod with a flashlight right next to their mouth, and the fish doesn’t even have to try hard to swallow its prey.
Sea bat
Fish, well dried in the sun, leaves behind a fairly durable shell, which in appearance is similar to that of a turtle. If you add stones inside it, you can get a real rattle, which has been used since ancient times by residents of the eastern hemisphere living on the ocean coast.
As one might expect, the shell for bats acts as protection against larger ones. deep sea creatures. Only very powerful teeth large predator are capable of breaking such a shell in order to get to the meat of the fish. At the same time, it is very difficult to find a bat in complete darkness. Besides the fact that the individual is quite flat and easily blends into the surrounding space, and its shell color is similar to the color of the seabed.
Fish - lancet, also known as lancetfish, is large creatures predatory type, which are considered the only surviving representative of the genus Alepisaurus, which means lizard scales. It got its name from medical term lancet, synonymous with scalpel.
Except polar seas, lancefish can be found in any area. At the same time, despite its great prevalence and ubiquity, there is very little information about this fish. Scientists are only able to create a description of an individual using a small number of specimens caught along with tuna. Her external data is very memorable to others. The fish has a high fin on its back; this fin is the entire length of the individual. In height it exceeds the individual several times, and in appearance it is similar to the fin of a sailfish.
The body is elongated and rather thin, decreasing in the area of the tail and ending with a caudal peduncle. The mouth is quite large. The cut in the individual's mouth is located behind its eyes. Inside the mouth, in addition to a large number of small teeth, there are two or three large sharp fangs. These fangs can give an individual the dangerous and insidious appearance of a prehistoric creature. One species of lancefish was even named Alepisaurus ferocious, which suggests that humans do not trust this fish. This can be justified, because if you look at the mouth of a fish, it is difficult to imagine that any creature could survive if it caught its eye.
Lancet fish in length reaches up to two meters, which can be compared with the size of the barracuda, which is considered very dangerous to humans.
Food
Necropsies of captured individuals provided some information about their diet. Thus, crustaceans were found in the stomach of the individual, which make up the bulk of plankton, which cannot in any way be associated with such a ferocious predator. Probably, the creature prefers to feed on plankton, since it is not able to move quickly and it simply cannot keep up with fast prey . It is for this reason that squids and salps form the basis of the individual’s diet. But some individuals had remains of tuna and other lancets.
Most likely, the creature ambushes faster and more agile fish, using the structure of its body and the silver color of its body as camouflage. It happens like this that the fish is hooked by a fisherman during a sea hunt.
Lancets are not of particular commercial interest. Although their meat is considered edible, it is not eaten due to its watery and jelly-like structure.
Black sack eater
- The sacfish is a deep-sea fish, a representative of the perciformes from the suborder chiasmodidae. This small individual can reach a length of 30 centimeters and is found mainly in tropical and subtropical climatic regions.
- The name sac swallow was given to the individual for its ability to swallow prey that is several times larger than itself. The thing is that she has a very elastic stomach, and there are no ribs in her stomach that would prevent the fish from expanding. That is why the bagworm is quickly and easily able to eat any fish, even one that is four times longer than its height and 10 times heavier.
- So, for example, near the Cayman Islands, the corpse of a bagworm was found, in whose tummy the remains of a mackerel 86 centimeters long were found. The length of the bagworm itself reached only 19 centimeters. So, this individual was able to swallow prey that was four times larger than it was. With all this, this was a mackerel, which is known as mackerel fish, which has a rather aggressive character. It is difficult to fully determine how such small fish was able to cope with a large and strong opponent.
In foreign countries the bagworm They gave it another name - the black devourer. The body of the creature is represented by a uniform dark brown color. The head is medium, the jaws are very large. The lower jaw does not have a bony connection with the head, so the mouth of the bagworm is capable of containing prey much larger than its head. On each jaw, the front three teeth form sharp fangs. With the help of them, the black eater holds its prey, in the process of pushing it into the stomach.
Nutrition
The swallowed victim can be so big, which cannot be immediately digested in the stomach of a predator. As a result of decomposition inside the stomach a large number of gas pulls the sac swallow to the surface. The most popular species of black eater were recorded precisely on the surface of the water with swollen bellies, which prevented the fish from going to depth. Bagworms live mainly at a depth of 700–3000 meters.
Watch the fish in its natural environment living is very difficult, so there are extremely few details about her life. For example, scientists report that these fish are oviparous. It is very common to find clutches of fish in winter time on the territory of South Africa. Young animals often live near Bermuda from April to August and have more light shades that arise as an individual grows older. Juveniles and juveniles also have small spines that adult bagworms do not have.
Deep waters are the lowest level of the ocean, located more than 1800 meters from the surface. Because only a small amount of light reaches this level, and sometimes no light at all, it was historically believed that there was no life in this layer. But in fact, it turned out that this level is simply teeming with in different forms life. It turned out that with each new dive to this depth, scientists miraculously find interesting, strange and outlandish creatures. Below are ten of the most unusual of them:
10. Polychaete Worm
This worm was caught this year from the ocean floor at a depth of 1,200 meters off the north coast of New Zealand. Yes, it may be pink, and yes, it can reflect light like a rainbow - but despite this, the polychaete worm can be a ferocious predator. The "tentacles" on its head are sensory organs designed to detect prey. This worm can twist its throat in order to grab a smaller creature - like an Alien. Fortunately, this type of worm rarely grows more than 10cm. They also rarely come across our path, but are often found near hydrothermal vents on the ocean floor.
9. Squat Lobster
These unique lobsters, which look quite scary and resemble headcrabs from the game Half-Life, were discovered on the same dive in which they were discovered polychaete worm, but at a greater depth, approximately 1400 meters from the surface. Even though squat lobsters were already known to science, this type I've never met them before. The squat lobsters live at depths of up to 5,000 meters and are distinguished by their large front claws and compressed bodies. They can be detritivores, predators, or herbivores that feed on algae. Not much is known about individuals of this species; in addition, representatives of this species have only been found about deep sea corals.
8. Carnivorous Coral or Sponge-Harp Coral
Most corals get their nutrients from photosynthetic algae that live in their tissues. This also means that they must live within 60 meters of the surface. But not this species, also known as the Harp Sponge. It was discovered 2,000 meters off the coast of California, but only this year scientists confirmed that it is carnivorous. Shaped like a candelabra, it stretches along the bottom to increase in size. It catches small crustaceans with tiny Velcro-like hooks and then stretches a membrane over them, slowly digesting them with chemicals. In addition to all its oddities, it also reproduces in a special way - “sperm packets” - see those balls at the end of each appendage? Yes, these are packets of spermatophores, and from time to time they swim away to find another sponge and reproduce.
7. Fish of the Cynogloss family or Tonguefish (Tonguefish)
This beauty is one of the species of tongue fish that are usually found in shallow estuaries or tropical oceans. This specimen lives in deep waters, and was caught from the bottom earlier this year in the Western Pacific Ocean. Interestingly, some tonguefish have been observed near hydrothermal vents spewing sulfur, but scientists have not yet figured out the mechanism that allows this species to survive in such conditions. Like all bottom-dwelling tonguefish, both of its eyes are located on the same side of its head. But unlike other members of this family, its eyes look like sticker eyes or scarecrow eyes.
6. Goblin Shark
The goblin shark is a truly strange creature. In 1985 it was discovered in the waters off east coast Australia. In 2003, more than a hundred individuals were captured in northeastern Taiwan (reportedly after an earthquake). However, other than sporadic sightings of this nature, little is known about this unique shark. This is a deep-sea, slow-moving species that can grow up to 3.8 meters in length (or even more - 3.8 is the largest that has ever been seen by humans). Like other sharks, the goblin shark can sense animals with its electro-sensing organs, and has several rows of teeth. But unlike other sharks, the goblin shark has both teeth adapted for catching prey and teeth adapted for cracking the shells of crustaceans.
If you're interested in watching her catch prey with that mouth of hers, here's a video. Imagine an almost 4-meter shark rushing at you with such jaws. Thank goodness they (usually) live so deep!
5. Flabby Whalefish
This brightly colored specimen (why need bright colors when colors are useless if you live where light can't penetrate) is a member of the unfortunately named "soft-bodied whalefish" species. This specimen was caught off the east coast of New Zealand, at a depth of more than 2 kilometers. In the lower part of the ocean, in the bottom waters, they did not expect to find many fish - and in fact it turned out that the soft-bodied whale-like fish did not have many neighbors. This family of fish lives at a depth of 3,500 meters, they have small eyes, which are actually completely useless given their habitat, but they have a phenomenally developed lateral line that helps them sense the vibrations of the water.
This species also does not have ribs, which is probably why the fish of this species look “soft-bodied”.
4. Grimpoteuthys (Dumbo Octopus)
The first mention of Grimpoteuthys appeared in 1999, and then, in 2009, it was filmed. These cute animals (for octopuses, anyway) can live about 7,000 meters below the surface, making them the deepest-dwelling species of octopus known to science. This genus of animals, so named because of the flaps on either side of the bell-shaped heads of its members and never see sunlight, may number more than 37 species. Grimpoteuthys can hover above the bottom using jet propulsion, based on a siphon-type device. At the bottom, grimpoteuthis feeds on snails, mollusks, crustaceans and crustaceans that live there.
3. Vampire Squid
The hellish vampire (Vampyroteuthis infernalis name literally translates as: vampire squid from hell) is more beautiful than terrible. Although this species of squid does not live at the same depths as the squid that ranks first on this list, it still lives quite deep, to be exact at a depth of 600-900 meters, which is much deeper than the habitat of ordinary squid. In the upper layers of its habitat there is some amount of sunlight, so it has evolved the most big eyes(in proportion to the body, of course) than all other animals in the world, in order to capture as much light as possible. But what is most amazing about this animal is its defense mechanisms. In the dark depths where he lives, he releases a bioluminescent "ink" that blinds and confuses other animals while he swims away. This works amazingly well precisely when the waters are not lit. Typically, it can emit a bluish light that, when viewed from below, helps it camouflage itself, but if spotted, it turns around and wraps itself in its black robe... and disappears.
2. Eastern Pacific Black Ghost Shark
Found on great depth off the coast of California in 2009, this mysterious shark belongs to a group of animals known as chimeras, which may be the oldest group of fish to survive today. Some believe that these animals, which evolved from sharks about 400 million years ago, only survived because they lived on such great depths. This particular species of shark uses its fins to "fly" through the water, and the males have a pointed, bat-like, retractable sex organ that protrudes from its forehead. It is most likely used to stimulate the female or attract her closer, but very little is known about this species, so its exact purpose is unknown.
1. Colossal Squid
The colossal squid truly deserves its name, measuring 12-14 meters in length, which is comparable to the length of a bus. It was first "discovered" in 1925 - but only its tentacles were found in the stomach of the sperm whale. The first complete specimen was found near the surface in 2003. In 2007, the largest known specimen, measuring 10 meters in length, was caught in the Antarctic waters of the Ross Sea and is currently on display at National Museum New Zealand. The squid is believed to be a slow ambush predator that feeds big fish and other squids attracted by its bioluminescence. Most scary fact What is known about this species is that sperm whales have been found to have scars that were left by the hooked tentacles colossal squid.
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Cascade Creature
Strange the new kind deep sea jellyfish? Or maybe a floating whale placenta or a piece of garbage? Until the beginning of this year, no one knew the answer to this question. Heated discussions about this creature began after this video was posted on YouTube - but marine biologists have identified this creature as a species of jellyfish known as Deepstaria enigmatica.
The sea, which most people associate with summer vacation and a wonderful pastime on the sandy beach under the scorching rays of the sun, is the source of most of the unsolved mysteries stored in uncharted depths.
Existence of life under water
Swimming, having fun and enjoying the sea during their holidays, people have no idea what is nearby. And there, in a zone of deep impenetrable darkness, where no one can reach Sunbeam, where there are no acceptable conditions for the existence of any organisms, there is a deep-sea world.
First explorations of the deep sea
The first naturalist to venture into the abyss in order to check whether inhabitants of the deep sea existed was William Beebe, an American zoologist who specially assembled an expedition to study the unknown world off the Bahamas. Plunging to the bottom in a submersible to a depth of 790 meters, the scientist discovered a wide variety of living organisms. depths - fish impressive size all colors of the rainbow with hundreds of paws and sparkling teeth - illuminated the impenetrable water with sparks and flashes.
The research of this fearless man made it possible to shatter the myths about the impossibility of life at the bottom due to the lack of light and the presence highest pressure, not allowing the presence of any organisms. The truth is that deep sea inhabitants, adapting to the environment, they create their own pressure similar to the external one. The existing fat layer helps these organisms to swim freely on enormous depths(up to 11 kilometers). Eternal darkness accommodates such unusual creatures: eyes, which they do not need there, are replaced by baroreceptors - special ones and sense of smell, which allow them to instantly react to the slightest changes around.
Fantastic images of sea monsters
Deep-sea monsters have a frighteningly ugly appearance, associated with fantastic images captured in the paintings of the most daring artists. Huge mouths, sharp teeth, absence of eyes, external coloring - all this is so unusual that it seems unreal, made up. In fact, in order to survive, the depths are forced to simply adapt to the whims of the environment.
After many studies, scientists came to the conclusion that even today seabed There may be ancient forms of life hidden at great depths from ongoing evolutionary processes. To this day you can find spiders the size of plates and jellyfish with 6-meter tentacles.
Megalodon: monster shark
Megalodon, a prehistoric animal, is of great interest huge size. The weight of this monster is up to 100 tons with a 30-meter length. The two-meter mouth of the monster is dotted with several rows of 18-centimeter teeth (there are 276 in total), sharp as a razor.
The life of an amazing inhabitant of the depths of the sea terrifies none of whom are able to resist its power. The remains of triangular teeth that deep-sea monsters had are found in rocks in almost all corners of the planet, which indicates their wide distribution. At the beginning of the 20th century, Australian fishermen met megalodon at sea, which confirms the version of its existence today.
Anglerfish or Monkfish
In the salty waters lives a rare deep-sea animal with an ugly appearance - angler(anglerfish), first discovered in 1891. In place of the missing scales on his body there are ugly bumps and growths, and around his mouth hang swaying rags of skin resembling algae. Due to its dark coloring, which gives it an unattractive appearance, a giant head studded with spines and a huge mouth slit, this deep-sea animal is rightfully considered the ugliest on planet Earth.
Several rows of sharp teeth and a long fleshy appendage protruding from the head and serving as bait pose a real threat to fish. Luring the victim with the light of a “fishing rod” equipped with a special gland, the angler lures it to the very mouth, forcing it to swim inside of its own free will. Distinguished by incredible gluttony, these amazing inhabitants the depths of the sea can attack prey that is many times larger than them in size. If the outcome is unsuccessful, both die: the victim from wounds, the aggressor from suffocation.
Interesting facts about anglerfish reproduction
The fact of reproduction of these fish is of interest: the male, when meeting a female friend, bites into her with his teeth, growing to the gill cover. Connecting to someone else's circulatory system and feeding on the juices of the female, the male individual actually becomes one with her, losing his jaws, intestines, and eyes, which have become unnecessary. The main function of attached fish is this period becomes the production of sperm. One female can be attached to several males, several times smaller in size and weight, which, if the latter dies, die along with her. Being commercial fish, monkfish is considered a delicacy. The French especially value its meat.
Huge squid - Mesonychthevis
Of the most famous mollusks on the planet, living at enormous depths, mesonychthevis is striking in its size - a squid of colossal size with a streamlined body shape that allows it to move with enormous speed. The eye of this monster of the deep sea is considered the largest on the planet, reaching a diameter of 60 centimeters. First description huge inhabitant seabed, the existence of which people did not even suspect, is found in documents from 1925. They tell about the discovery by fishermen of a one and a half meter sperm whale in the stomach. In 2010, a representative of this group of mollusks weighing more than 100 kg and about 4 meters long was washed up off the coast of Japan. Scientists suggest that adult individuals reach 5 meters in size and weigh about 200 kilograms.
Previously it was believed that the squid was able to destroy its enemy - the sperm whale - by holding it under water. In reality, the threat to the mollusk’s victim is its tentacles, with which it penetrates the victim’s blowhole. A special feature of the squid is its ability to exist for a long time without food, therefore the latter’s lifestyle is sedentary, involving camouflage and a quiet pastime, waiting for an unfortunate victim.
Amazing sea dragon
The leafy sea dragon (rag pickerel, sea pegasus) stands out in the thickness of the salty waters with its fantastic appearance. Translucent fins of a greenish tint covering the body and serving for camouflage unusual fish, resemble colorful plumage and constantly sway with the movement of water.
Found only off the coast of Australia, the rag-picker reaches a length of 35 centimeters. He swims very slowly, with maximum speed up to 150 m/hour, which is good for any predator. The life of an amazing inhabitant of the deep sea consists of many dangerous situations, in which salvation is one’s own appearance: clinging to plants, the leafy sea dragon merges with them and becomes completely invisible. The offspring are carried by the male in a special pouch, into which the female lays eggs. These inhabitants of the deep sea are especially interesting for children because of their unusual appearance.
Giant isopod
In the sea, among the many unusual creatures, such inhabitants of the deep sea as isopods (crayfish) stand out due to their size giant size), reaching a length of up to 1.5 m and weighing up to 1.5 kg. The body, covered with movable rigid plates, is reliably protected from predators, when they appear, the crayfish curls up into a ball.
Most of the representatives of these crustaceans, preferring solitude, live at a depth of up to 750 meters and are in a state close to hibernation. The amazing inhabitants of the deep sea feed on sedentary prey: small fish that sink to the bottom as carrion. Sometimes you can see hundreds of crayfish devouring the decaying carcasses of dead sharks and whales. The lack of food at depth has adapted the crayfish to easily do without it for a long time (up to several weeks). Most likely, the accumulated layer of fat, which is gradually and rationally consumed, helps them maintain their vital functions.
Blob fish
One of the most scary inhabitants the bottom of the planet is a blob fish (see below for deep-sea photos).
Small, close-set eyes and big mouth with corners pointing downward, they vaguely resemble the face of a sad person. The fish is believed to live at depths of up to 1.2 km. Outwardly, it is a shapeless gelatinous lump, the density of which is slightly less than the density of water. This allows the fish to swim calmly over considerable distances, swallowing everything edible and without spending much effort. The absence of scales and the strange shape of the body have put the existence of a given organism endangered. Found off the coast of Tasmania and Australia, it is easily caught by fishermen and sold as souvenirs.
When laying eggs, the drop fish sits on the eggs until the last, subsequently carefully and for a long time caring for the hatched fry. Trying to find quiet and uninhabited places for them in deep water, the female responsibly protects her babies, ensuring their safety and helping them survive in difficult conditions. Not having in nature natural enemies, these inhabitants of the deep sea can accidentally get caught along with algae only in fishing nets.
Bagworm: small and voracious
At a depth of up to 3 kilometers, a representative of perciformes lives - the sac-eater (black eater). The fish received this name due to its ability to feed on prey several times its size. She is capable of swallowing organisms four times longer than herself and ten times heavier. This happens due to the absence of ribs and the elasticity of the stomach. For example, the corpse of a 30-centimeter sac-eater, discovered near the Cayman Islands, contained inside the remains of a fish about 90 cm long. Moreover, the victim was a rather aggressive mackerel, which causes complete bewilderment: how was a small fish able to defeat a large and strong opponent?
These amazing inhabitants of the deep sea have a dark coloration, a medium-sized head and large jaws with three front teeth on each of them, forming sharp fangs. With their help, the sac swallower holds its prey, pushing it into the stomach. Moreover, the prey, often large in size, is not digested immediately, which causes cadaveric decomposition directly in the stomach itself. The gas released as a result of this lifts the sac swallow to the surface, where it is found strange representatives seabed.
Moray eel - a dangerous predator of the deep sea
In the waters warm seas you can meet a giant moray eel - a terrible three-meter creature with an aggressive and evil character. The smooth, scaleless body allows the predator to effectively camouflage itself in the muddy bottom, waiting for prey swimming past. Most The moray eel spends its life in shelters (on a rocky bottom or in coral reefs with their cracks and grottoes), where prey awaits.
Outside the caves, the front part of the body and the head are usually left with the mouth constantly slightly open. The color of the moray eel is an excellent camouflage: the yellow-brown color with spots scattered throughout it resembles the color of a leopard. Moray eels feed on crustaceans and any fish that they can catch. For eating sick and weak individuals, it is also called the “sea orderly.” There are sad cases of people being eaten. This happens due to the latter’s inexperience in communicating with fish and persistently pursuing it. Having grabbed the victim, the predator will open its jaws only after its death, and not before.
Joint fishing of marine predators
Scientists are of great interest in the recently discovered joint fishing of fish that are antipodes in nature. During the hunt, the moray hides in coral reefs, where it waits for prey. being a predator, hunting in open space, which forces small fish to hide in the reefs, and therefore in the mouth of the moray eel. A hungry perch always initiates a joint hunt, swimming up to the moray eel and shaking its head, which means an invitation to a mutually beneficial fishery. If a moray eel, in anticipation of a tasty dinner, agrees to a tempting offer, it gets out of its hiding place and swims to the gap with the hidden prey, which is pointed at by the perch. Moreover, prey caught together is also eaten together; A moray eel shares a caught fish with a perch.
Most people associate the ocean with whales, dolphins and sharks. However, much more terrible and bizarre creatures lurk in the deep waters.
Translation for – Sveta Gogol
1. Horned box
This cute creature very similar to Pokemon. However, sensing danger, the fish begins to secrete a deadly toxin.
2. Mediterranean tarsier
Their distinctive feature are disproportionately large pectoral fins. Contrary to their name, they cannot fly.
3. Ophiura
This is one of the most wonderful creatures that can be found in the sea. In addition, the life expectancy of brittle stars is 35 years, which characterizes them as a very hardy species.
4. Red glowing jellyfish
In order to lure prey, the jellyfish has tentacles that flash red. But scientists’ special attention was attracted by the fact that this is the first invertebrate creature known to science that can emit red.
5. Black Crookshanks
He is also called the “great glutton” because... he can eat fish twice his size and ten times his weight. Sometimes he swallows so much big fish that they are not digested until complete decomposition due to which gases are formed and the crabbill floats to the surface.
6. Common sea dragon
The animal, which is depicted on the coat of arms of the Australian state of Victoria, is found only in the eastern part Indian Ocean. It can reach 45 centimeters in length. In fact, the dragon is a relative of the seahorse.
7. Cancerscorpio
Racoscorpions or eurypterids are the largest extinct order of arthropods that ever lived on earth. Fossils containing their remains have been found all over the world. Even though this photo is photoshopped, it gives you an idea of what these creatures would actually look like.
8. Tongue-Eating Woodlice
9. Fish with a human face
However, the similarities do not end there: some individuals even have eyes and ears that are shaped like humans.
10. Speckled Stargazer
This fish is certainly not the nicest creature you can find in the ocean. Burying itself in the sand, it waits to attack when the victim swims nearby.
11. Brachiopod
This representative of the bat family grows up to 10 centimeters. Its bait, unlike most anglerfish, does not glow, but releases an enzyme that lures the prey.
12. Axolotl
This neotenic salamander is close to extinction. However, scientists are showing great interest in it due to its ability to regenerate limbs. The axolotl feeds on worms, insects and small fish.
13. Moon fish
Is the heaviest of all known bony fish: average weight adult can reach 1 ton. She mainly feeds on jellyfish.
14. Blue Dragon
Also known as "Glaucus atlanticus" - species gastropods from the order nudibranchs. Swallowing a bubble of air, which is subsequently stored in its stomach, it floats upside down on the surface of the ocean.
15. Sea butterfly
The most common gastropod mollusk found in the ocean. As a result of evolution due to higher level acidity, the sea butterfly formed a calcified shell, shaped like a shell.
16. Hairy crab
Better known as "Kiwa hirsuta". This creature lives in hydrothermal vents on the ocean floor. Males prefer warmer water, while females and juveniles prefer colder water.
17. Rag-picking seahorse
Representatives of this species of fish have their entire body and head covered with processes that imitate algae, which serves as a kind of camouflage. In addition, the raghorse is the maritime emblem of the state of South Australia.
18. Skeleton Shrimp
Thanks to its filamentous body and thin limbs, it can disappear among algae, hydroids and bryozoans. It is also called "ghost shrimp".
19. Sparkling Squid
And although it looks like a common squid, representatives of this species grow up to seven and a half centimeters in length and die a year after their birth. In Japan it is mined in industrial scale. After a storm, when squids wash ashore, they literally illuminate coastline, which is why there is great interest in them.
20. Carpet shark
If you look at the photo, it becomes clear why it was called that. And although not all representatives of this species are similar to a carpet, some are extremely similar.
21. Angelfish
Also known as the "warty anglerfish". Oddly enough, this fish does not swim, but rather moves along the ocean floor. Its modified fins closely resemble human hands.
22. Porpoise
These strange creatures live at depths of over a thousand meters, in particular on the deep plains of the Pacific, Indian, and Atlantic Oceans. Some related species live in Antarctica.
23. Predatory Sponge
At first glance, you won’t understand that this is a carnivorous creature. In 2012, it was discovered by a group from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute. The sponge lives at depths of up to several kilometers below sea level. Its menu includes crustaceans and other crustaceans.
24. Living stone
It is a delicacy in Chile. WITH close range it resembles an organ system that feeds on microorganisms by absorbing water.
25. Pike blenny
This fish is extremely aggressive. To find out who is more important, the males open their mouths wide and press their lips to each other. The one whose mouth is larger wins.
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