The underwater world is mysterious and unique. He keeps secrets that have not yet been unraveled by man. We offer you to get acquainted with the most unusual sea ​​creatures, plunge into the unknown thickness of the water world and see its beauty.

1. Atoll Jellyfish (Atolla vanhoeffeni)

The unusually beautiful Atoll jellyfish lives at a depth where sunlight does not penetrate. In times of danger, she is able to glow, attracting large predators. Jellyfish do not seem tasty to them, and predators eat their enemies with pleasure.

This jellyfish is capable of emitting a bright red glow, which is a consequence of the breakdown of proteins in its body. As a rule, large jellyfish are dangerous creatures, but you should not be afraid of the Atoll, because its habitat is where no swimmer can reach.

2. Blue angel (Glaucus atlanticus)

A very tiny mollusk rightfully deserves its name, it seems to be floating on the water surface. To become lighter and stay at the very edge of the water, he swallows air bubbles from time to time.

These unusual creatures have an outlandish body shape. They are blue above and silver below. It is not in vain that nature provided for such a disguise - the Blue Angel goes unnoticed by birds and marine predators. A thick layer of mucus around the mouth allows it to feed on small, poisonous sea creatures.

3. Sponge-harp (Сhondrocladia lyra)

This mysterious marine predator is still not well understood. The structure of his body resembles a harp, hence the name. The sponge is immobile. She clings to the sediment of the seabed and hunts, gluing small underwater inhabitants to her sticky tips.

The harp sponge covers its prey with a bactericidal film and gradually digests it. There are individuals with two or more lobes, which are connected in the center of the body. The more blades, the more food the sponge will catch.

4 Dumbo Octopus (Grimpoteuthis)

The octopus got its name because of the resemblance to the Disney hero Dumbo the elephant, although it has a semi-gelatinous body of a rather modest size. Its fins resemble elephant ears. He swings them when he swims, which looks quite funny.

Not only the "ears" help to move, but also the peculiar funnels located on the body of the octopus, through which it releases water under pressure. Dumbo lives at a very great depth, so we know very little about him. Its diet consists of all kinds of mollusks and worms.

Octopus Dumbo

5. Yeti Crab (Kiwa hirsuta)

The name of this animal speaks for itself. The crab, covered with white shaggy fur, really resembles Bigfoot. He lives in cold waters at such a depth where there is no access to light, so he is completely blind.

These amazing animals grow microorganisms on their claws. Some scientists believe that the crab needs these bacteria to purify water from toxic substances, others suggest that crabs grow food for themselves on bristles.

6. Short-nosed bat (Ogcocephalus)

This fashionista fish with bright red lips can't swim at all. Living at a depth of more than two hundred meters, it has a flat body covered with a shell, and legs-fins, thanks to which the short-nosed Bat slowly walks along the bottom.

It gets food with the help of a special growth - a kind of retractable fishing rod with an odorous bait that attracts prey. Inconspicuous coloration and a shell with spikes help the fish hide from predators. Perhaps this is the funniest animal among the inhabitants of the oceans.

7. Felimare Picta sea slug

Felimare Picta is one of the species of sea slugs that lives in the waters of the Mediterranean. He looks very extravagant. The yellow-blue body seems to be surrounded by a delicate airy frill.

Felimare Picta, although it is a mollusk, does without a shell. And why should he? In case of danger, the sea slug has something much more interesting. For example, acidic sweat that is released on the surface of the body. It’s not good for anyone who wants to treat himself to this mysterious mollusk!

8. Flamingo Tongue Clam (Cyphoma gibbosum)

This creature is found on the western coast of the Atlantic Ocean. Having a brightly colored mantle, the mollusk completely covers its plain shell with it and thus protects it from negative impact marine organisms.

Like an ordinary snail, the "Flamingo Tongue" hides in its shell in case of impending danger. By the way, the mollusk got its name due to its bright color with characteristic spots. In nutrition, it prefers poisonous gogonaria. In the process of eating, the snail absorbs the poison of its prey, after which it becomes poisonous itself.

9. Leafy Sea Dragon (Phycodurus eques)

The sea dragon is a true virtuoso of mimicry. It is covered with "leaves" that help it to appear inconspicuous against the backdrop of the underwater landscape. Interestingly, such abundant vegetation does not help the dragon to move at all. Only two tiny fins located on its chest and back are responsible for speed. The leaf dragon is a predator. It feeds by sucking prey into itself.

Whelps feel comfortable in the shallow waters of warm seas. And these marine inhabitants are also known as excellent fathers, because it is the males who bear offspring and take care of him.

10. Salps (Salpidae)

Salps are invertebrate marine inhabitants that have a barrel-shaped body, through the transparent shell of which internal organs are visible.

In the ocean depths, animals form long chains-colonies that are easily torn apart even by a slight wave impact. Salps reproduce by budding.

11. Piglet squid (Helicocranchia pfefferi)

The outlandish and little-studied underwater creature resembles Piglet from the famous cartoon. The completely transparent body of the piglet squid is covered with age spots, the combination of which sometimes gives it a cheerful look. Around the eyes are the so-called photophores - organs of luminescence.

This clam is slow. It's funny that the squid-pig moves upside down, because of which its tentacles look like a forelock. He lives at a depth of 100 meters.

12. Ribbon Moray (Rhinomuraena guaesita)

This underwater inhabitant pretty unusual. Throughout life, the tape moray eel is able to change sex and color three times, depending on the stages of its development. So, when the individual is still immature, it is painted black or dark blue.

Growing up to a hundred centimeters, the moray eel turns into a male and turns blue, and at the peak of maturation, a unique fish turns out to be a female and acquires a bright yellow color. Her body does not have scales and is covered with bactericidal mucus, her nose resembles two delicate petals, and her mouth is always wide open, which gives the fish a formidable look. In fact, the moray eel is not at all aggressive, and keeps its mouth open due to underdeveloped gills.

13. Drop fish (Psychrolutes marcidus)

Drop fish - pretty

14. Christmas Tree Worm (Spirobranchus giganteus)

Is it possible to think that these unusual Christmas trees are worms, although not simple, but marine polychaetes? Their shape and bright colors make these creatures elegant and unique.

The bristles are very similar to feathers, but these are just the digestive and respiratory organs, and the body is a calcareous tube. Worm " Christmas tree» homebody. He spends his whole life in a coral hole, where he once sucks, considering it the most suitable place for his existence.

The editors of the site invite you to get acquainted with the most unusual natural phenomena.
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Incredible Facts

The oceans cover about 70 percent of the earth's surface and provide about half of the air we breathe thanks to microscopic phytoplankton.

Despite all this, the oceans remain the biggest 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 the group deep sea fish who 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.

The most unique characteristic of this fish is its soft, transparent head and barrel-shaped eyes. Usually fixed upwards with green "lens caps" to filter out 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 very close to it. 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 of the world at a depth of 2,800 m.

4. Deep sea angler

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 more than 200 species of monkfish, most of which live in the dark 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 sea ​​day are ocean cleaners, cracking down on dead deep-sea inhabitants.

The eyes of the Japanese crab are located forward 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 times the catch of these crabs is 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 with strong water pressure. 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 sea ​​urchins and shellfish that float 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 itself does not suffer much from this process, continuing to live and eat after the wood lice found a permanent place to live with him.

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, as well as 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 venomous spines 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 species here that can eat them is the lion fish themselves, since they are not only aggressive predators, but also cannibals.

Due to the poison that their spines release, the bites become even more painful, and for those who suffer from heart disease or allergic reactions, this can be fatal.

1. Anglerfish / Angler Fish / Monkfish / European Anglerfish / Angler Fish

This deep-sea monster can easily become any diver's nightmare and is rightfully considered the ugliest fish on planet Earth.

As if ashamed of their ugliness, anglers live on sea ​​depths oh, where the sun's rays don't penetrate.

There are 200 species of anglerfish that are widely distributed in the cold waters of the Atlantic and Antarctic oceans. The depths at which these creatures live are truly amazing: in 2006, a female monkfish was discovered in the Mediterranean Ocean at a depth of 1.86 km.

Fishermen spend most of their lives at the very bottom, where they burrow into silt or sand.

Due to their deep-sea habitation, the skin of these fish has a dark gray or dark brown color, which would make them inconspicuous if not for a huge flat head dotted with spikes and a giant mouth gap. The palate and jaws have several rows of razor-sharp, inward-curving teeth.

Some anglerfish can reach 2 meters in length and weigh up to 28 kilograms.

On the head of female individuals there is a small process with a fleshy bilobed appendage (rod), which behaves like a float and begins to fluoresce at great depths, thanks to which this fish got such an unusual name. The rod, as a rule, is 4 times longer than the fish itself, and a fleshy appendage filled with mucus, in which bacteria that emit light live, is located directly in front of the predator's mouth. The mouth of the angler fish is truly gigantic compared to the rest of the body, and in combination with a soft elastic body, this ‘baby’ can swallow whole prey that is twice its size.

That. it turns out that this monster, if desired, can easily swallow an adult!

A female fisherman can warm up to 10 partners on her body in her entire life, but most often their number is limited to 5-6.

For a better idea of ​​how this process takes place, check out this short comic:

Spawning takes place at great depths, but the eggs are lighter than water and float to its surface. Here, larvae hatch from them, which begin to feed intensively, grow rapidly and gradually sink until they return to their homeland - the seabed.

Monkfish are extremely aggressive and any person who swims too close to him will be immediately attacked. The bites of this fish are very deep and painful, so in any case, do not approach this monster.

In Italy, the meat of this monster is eaten.

2. Viper fish / sea ​​viper/ Deep Sea Viper / Viperfish

Indigenous to the mesopelagic, the deep-sea viper can be found in the tropical and temperate regions of the oceans at depths of 80 to 1600 meters.

Viper fish belongs to the Chauliodontidae family, all members of which are excellent freaks and bloodthirsty predators.

Individuals living closer to the surface are pitch black, and their deeper counterparts are completely transparent, as are most inhabitants of the depths where the sun's rays do not penetrate.
Viper fish lure their prey with the help of a special luminous organ - a photophore, which is located along their dorsal fin.
This fish has simply gigantic eyes, in comparison with the size of its body, thanks to which it can see well even in the pitch darkness of the sea depths. The mouth is armed with huge sharp teeth protruding several centimeters from the mouth.

The prey of the deep-sea viper is, as a rule, fish that are two or even three times larger than themselves. The predator with lightning speed seizes with its teeth-sabers in the muzzle of the victim with a stranglehold, and waits until the fish, beating in agony, runs out of strength, after which, intercepting with its teeth, it begins to literally put on it until it swallows whole.

After a hearty meal, the deep-sea viper looks like an inflated balloon bristling with sharp teeth.
Fish are stupid and aggressive to disgrace. Oceanographer Stanley Dzhimnirski said that in 2006, while diving into the waters of the Pacific Ocean, he witnessed how a viper fish attacked a humpback whale, but due to its modest size, it could not overcome the gigantic mammal, which simply - simply ignored all the attacks of the brainless fish.

3. Alepisaurus / Alepisaurus

Large toothy creatures that carry the legacy of prehistoric times today can reach a length of two meters and weigh more than 8 kg.

The fish is extremely smart and very rarely gets caught in fishing nets, and, according to fishermen, it is simply impossible to catch an alepisaurus on a hook.

It lives mainly in open ocean waters.

This species was first described in 1741 by one of the members of the Second Kamchatka Expedition, Georg Wilhelm Steller, who discovered a sea monster washed up on the shore of one of the Aleutian Islands.

4. Sabertooth / Sabertooth / Fangtooths

Saber-tooth fish or horned fish is another monster that lives in the ocean depths.

Despite its formidable appearance, this fish has a truly miniature size, reaching a length of only 15.24 cm.

The sabertooth has a short body, a large head and a huge mouth, with powerful jaws studded with sharp fangs.
Sabertooth fry are strikingly different from adults - they have a lighter color, a different body structure and long spikes crown their heads. The color of adults varies from jet black to dark brown.

Sabertooth fish are one of the deepest-sea fish in our world, which feel comfortable at depths of over 4,875 meters, where they are exposed to pressures of over 425 atm.

These tiny predators attack everything that moves and are able to swallow whole prey, which is two to three times their own size. Some scientists suggest that the extreme aggressiveness of sabertooths is a hereditary reflex, developed as a result of an extreme shortage of food at such depths.

Saber-toothed fish live in temperate and tropical oceanic regions, including waters off the coast of Australia.






5. Dragonfish / Sea Dragon / Grammatostomias flagellibarba

The deep-sea dragonfish is a ruthless predator, attacking anything that can be eaten. The aggression of this fish does not fit in with its size at all - the body length of the sea dragon is only 15.24 cm.

The miniature monster has a large head and a large mouth, studded with sharp, fang-like teeth.

On the chin of the dragon fish there is a long whisker, at the end of which there is a photophore, which acts as a fishing bait. Blinking and waving it back and forth in front of its toothy mouth, the predator waits until the unsuspecting prey swims close enough to it, after which it snaps its powerful jaws on its head with a lightning movement if the prey is large enough, otherwise it simply swallows it entirely.

In addition, like most deep-sea fish, the body and head of the dragonfish are dotted with photophores that serve to communicate with other members of their species (eg, during mating).

Sea dragons can be found in the tropical regions of the oceans at a depth of 1,500 meters.

6. Bigmouth / Eurypharynx pelecanoides

The first place in the nomination of the strangest and lurid looking creature on the planet Earth is awarded to a representative of the pouch-like order - a large mouth, whose mouth looks truly gigantic, in comparison with the rest of the body.

Most of the skull bones of the large mouth were reduced or simply disappeared as they were no longer needed. As a result, it is impossible to determine to which genus of fish the bolshemouth belongs. Only the appearance of eel-like fry hints at the relationship of these two species.

During the hunt, the lower jaw of the bolshemouth leans down and takes the form of a net, into which prey is easily placed, which more hunter several times.
Many researchers of the deep sea have noticed that the big mouth, carrying prey in its mouth, looks like a flabby pelican. That is why this sea ​​creature often called pelican eel (pelican eel).

The stomach of a large mouth is also adapted to receive large food and is able to stretch.

One more hallmark this inhabitant of the deep sea is a long, whip-like tail. Often the tails of bigmouths caught in fishing nets were tangled into many knots.

Large mouths grow up to 2 meters in length and live at a depth of 915 to 1830 meters.

7. Atlantic Giant Squid / Architeuthis dux

The Atlantic giant squid (Architeuthis dux) is the largest invertebrate in the world.

An adult female giant squid can reach 18 meters in length and weigh over 900 kg.

Almost nothing is known about these mysterious sea monsters. They were only seen alive a couple of times. The study of sea ‘krakens’ is limited exclusively to the dissection of their semi-decomposed corpses washed ashore.

Giant squids are carnivorous and eat anything they can catch. During World War II, many surviving crew members of sunken ships told stories of giant sea ​​monsters who dragged their colleagues under water. In addition, these creatures are credited with attacks on submarines and small vessels. Evidence of this was never found, which in other ways does not exclude the possibility that starving deep-sea creatures rise to the surface in search of food.

The Atlantic squid is armed with eight long tentacles(up to 5 meters) with suckers with which he holds his prey and two powerful jaws that form a sharp beak that can easily pierce the skull of a white shark.

The sworn enemies of these monsters are sperm whales, the strength and mass of which the ‘krakens’ have nothing to oppose. This can be confirmed by the fact that the remains of giant squids are very often found in the stomachs of dead sperm whales.

Representatives of this species of giant squid live mainly in the temperate and subtropical zones of the Atlantic Ocean at a depth of up to 1100 meters.

8. Giant isopod / Giant isopod / Bathynomus giganteus

One of the largest members of the crustacean family, the giant isopod (Bathynomus giganteus), also known as the giant isopod crayfish, reaches a length of 45 cm and weighs up to 2 kg.

The closest relative of this animal, not far removed from its prehistoric ancestors, is the wood lice.

When threatened, the giant isopod curls up into a ball, protected by a rigid calcareous exoskeleton of overlapping segments covering its back.

The giant isopod has 7 pairs of legs, the first of which, at a certain stage of evolutionary development, turned into leg jaws that serve to capture, crush and feed food into the mouth, equipped with four jaws.

These giants live in sea ​​water at a depth of over 600 meters.

9. Sea coffin / Coffin fish / Sea toad / B. melanostomus

The soft spherical body and short tail of this inhabitant of the ocean depths are covered with many small poisonous spikes that pose a serious danger even to humans.

The length of an adult sea toad does not exceed 12 cm.

The elastic skin allows this species of fish to swell, thereby more than doubling in size.

The sea toad belongs to the anglerfish suborder and has a small movable photophore on its snout.

These fish spend most of their lives burrowing into the silt, only occasionally protruding their muzzle out of it, luring prey with a luminescent photophore.

Sea toads live in the continental regions of the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans at depths up to 2000 meters.

10. Infernal Vampire / Vampyroteuthis infernalis

The infernal vampire is a relic squid and the only member of the Vampyromorphida order.

The jelly-like body, dotted with photophores, makes it look more like a jellyfish than a squid.

Is the owner of the most big eyes among animals, in comparison with the rest of the proportions of the body. They are located on the sides, have a spherical shape and can reach a diameter of 25 cm.

Usually the length of an adult infernal vampire does not exceed 15 cm, but there are also 30 cm specimens.

Photophores serve for intraspecific communication, defense and attack. Thanks to them, an infernal vampire is able to generate light pulses lasting from hundredths of a second to several minutes. In addition, it can control the brightness and size of color spots.

The infernal vampire is able to change the color of his body and eyes. Depending on the lighting, the eyes can be blue or red, and the body is velvety black, red, purple or brown.

The Hell Vampire's blood contains the pigment hemocyanin, which contains copper, which gives it a bluish hue.

Metabolism proceeds in his body so slowly that he needs a minimum amount of food and oxygen to live. Thanks to this, the infernal vampire manages to comfortably survive at depths of more than 1000 m.

This animal is capable of developing an incredible speed, reaching 30 cm / s.

11. Long-nosed Chimera / Harriotta raleighana

In the lane from Greek "chimera" - monster

A distinctive feature of this sea creature, belonging to the order Chimaeriformes, is a long nose with ideal hydrodynamic properties. The long-nosed chimera is one of the fastest underwater creatures top speed whose movement has not yet been determined.

Large Round eyes allow the chimera to see well even where the sun's rays practically do not penetrate.
Long-nosed chimeras are considered distant relatives sharks, which is why in South Africa they are often called ‘ghost sharks’.

They live in oceanic waters with a temperate climate at a depth of 200 to 2600 meters.

The touch of a poisonous spike located on the dorsal fin can kill a person, although this is unlikely to ever happen at a depth of 2600 meters.

12. Black Crookshanks / Chiasmodon niger

The genus Chiasmodons includes five types of the most disgusting creatures, each of which could easily become an adornment of any low-budget horror movie.

The most common member of this marine ‘Adams family’ is the black livemouth.

The length of these monsters is only 15-25 cm, but thanks to the wide mouth, crowned with large moving fangs, they can easily swallow a half-meter fish.

In order not to become a victim during the hunt, the live-eater swallows the prey, starting from the tail, then, intercepting it with its teeth, draws it into its stomach, which is elastic and able to accommodate everything that crawls into the mouth of this marine freak.

The system of organs of the lateral line, which allows it to pick up vibrations in the water, helps to find prey in pitch darkness.

In addition, there are photophores on its body to attract prey and communicate with potential mating partners.
Black live-throats live in tropical and subtropical waters of the World Ocean at a depth of 700-2700 meters.

13. Frilled Shark / Chlamydoselachus anguineus

The frilled shark is one of two species of the Chlamydoselachidae family, found predominantly in the waters of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

It lives at a depth of 50 to 200 meters, but if desired, can dive up to 2000 meters.

Most often, scientists call this animal a living fossil, because. it has practically not undergone any changes in the course of its evolutionary development and is the brightest representative of a species that originated in the prehistoric period.

Frilled sharks reach two meters in length, while females are larger than males, and have a dark-colored snake body, which makes them look like eels. Their gill openings are decorated with skin frills, thanks to which these sharks got their name.

This dangerous predator makes full use of all the advantages of his snake body during the hunt. With a lightning movement, he pounces on the victim and coils around her like a snake. Flexible jaws allow him to swallow prey, which is several times larger than himself, and sharp-tipped and inward-curved teeth completely exclude the possibility of the victim escaping from a deadly grip.

Frilled sharks feed mainly on cephalopods, fish and other sharks.

These deep-sea animals hatch from eggs that are carried by the female for 2-3.5 years, the longest pregnancy among vertebrates.

And in conclusion, I want to introduce you, although not to the sea, and not so terrible in appearance, but still an extremely dangerous river hunter who does not disdain even human flesh.

Pacu / Pacu

Paku is a fish from the piranha family, which, like a dragon fish, attacks everything it sees, only its habitat is not the depths of the sea, but shallow river backwaters.

Pacu are much larger than piranhas - the weight of an adult can reach 30 kg. Extremely sharp teeth, somewhat similar to human ones, and powerful jaws make this pretty fish the most dangerous river predator in the world.

In order to provoke a pack to attack, it is enough to approach it at a distance of two meters.

The main habitat of these fish is concentrated in the waters of the Amazon.

Is it hard for you to believe that such a ‘cute baby’ can do you any harm? But in vain! Most recently, the pacu castrated two local fishermen in Papua New Guinea who bled to death. For more than a month, this bloodthirsty creature alone terrorized the inhabitants of nearby villages, until it was caught by an experienced fisherman from England, Jeremy Wade.

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 of the animal world live in the depths of the sea. Today in our article we will talk about the most incredible deep-sea fish of the 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, by appearance our deep-sea record holder differs little from ordinary fish, although in fact, despite the relatively typical appearance, its habits and lifestyle are still little studied by zoologists, because it is a very difficult task to conduct research at such a great depth.

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 its mouth open 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. The largest representatives of the 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. An interesting fact: anglers themselves often become a victim of their special voracity, because having grabbed a large fish, due to the structure of their teeth, they can no longer release their prey, as a result of which they themselves choke and die.

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.

In addition to its main name, the deep-sea anglerfish 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. Lives in the Bering Sea west coast USA and Canada, as well as off 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 primacy among fish, but it is these giant amoeba that hold the absolute record among living creatures that live at the 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.

These amazing deep sea fish

These amazing deep sea fish

strange appearance

The deeper we go down, the smaller the number of fish, the fewer good swimmers, the smaller their size. But their appearance will become more and more surprising - their bodies will become more and more loose, gelatinous, flickering in the dark with luminous organs - photophores.

What fish live in deep seas
To date, only 7 species of fish have been found in deep-sea trenches: three species of bugs and four species of sea slugs. The record for the depth of capture belongs to abyssobrothule, caught in the Puerto Rico trench at a depth of 8370 meters, and pseudoliparis - Pseudoliparis, caught 7800 meters from the surface. Data on the life of these fish is practically absent, but as far as their appearance can be judged, these small, lethargic creatures feed on benthic crustaceans and, possibly, the remains of other animals. This is what it looks like paraliparis - Paraliparis living at a depth of 200 - 2000 m.

Probably, fish can be found at the bottom and deeper depressions. So, during the immersion of the Trieste bathysphere in Mariana Trench at a depth of about 10,000 meters, scientists managed to photograph some kind of flounder-like creature, but further analysis of the images did not confirm the unambiguous belonging of this object to fish. In any case, there are few fish at such depths. Scientists have not yet found giant octopuses or squids that can swallow a whole ship.

Giant extinct armored fish

The armored fish that lived in the Jurassic period reached a length of more than 5 m, they lived in fresh water.

Coelacanths appeared 60 million years ago

The famous species of deep-sea fish coelacanths ( lobe-finned fish) have existed for 60 million years.

side lights

The "lanterns" themselves are small and large, single or arranged in "constellations" over the entire surface of the body. They can be round or oblong, like luminous stripes. Some fish resemble ships with rows of luminous portholes, and in predators they are often located at the ends of long antennae - rods. Many deep sea fish, such as anglerfish, glowing anchovies, hatchets, photostome, there are luminous organs - photofluors, which serve to attract prey or to disguise themselves from predators. In females melanocet, like the females of other deep-sea anglers (and there are 120 species of them), a “fishing rod” grows on the head. It ends with a brilliant esque. By waving the "fishing rod", the melanocet lures the fish to itself and directs them directly into the mouth.

In luminous anchovies, photofluors are located on the tail, trunk around the eyes. The downward light of the abdominal photophores blurs the outlines of these small fish against the background of weak light coming from above and makes them invisible from below.

Hatchet photophores are located along the abdomen on both sides and on the lower part of the body and also emit a greenish light downwards. Their lateral photophores resemble portholes.

The most famous deep sea fish- it's an angler. Anglerfishes originate from Perciformes. Almost 120 species of deep-sea anglerfish are known, about 10 of which are found in the North Pacific. Found in the Black Sea European anglerfish (Lophius piscatorius).

The deepest sea fish
It is believed that of all vertebrates, fish belonging to the genus Bassogigas (family Brotulidae). From the research vessel John Eliot managed to catch bassogigasa at a depth of 8000 m.

Shellfish lived in the Jurassic

More than 5 m long, which lived in fresh water.

Crawling one-legged
Norwegian scientists from the Institute for Marine Research in Bergen announced the discovery unknown to science creature living at a depth of about 2000 meters. This is a creature of very bright colors crawling along the bottom. Its length is not more than 30 centimeters. The creature has only one front "paw" (or something very similar to a paw) and a tail, and does not look like any of the marine life known to scientists. It was not possible to catch the creature, but the scientists were able to take a good look at it and photograph it many times.

Why do fish need flashlights?

In conditions of constant darkness, the ability to glow plays a huge role. For predators, this is the lure of prey by fishing fish. In anglerfishes, the first ray of the spiny dorsal fin is shifted to the head and turned into a rod, at the end of which there is a bait that serves to attract prey .. In their victims, the ability to glow, on the contrary, is a way of disorienting predators that are lost in a round dance of flashes. In some fish, only the lower part of the body glows, which makes them less visible against the background of diffused overhead light. Maybe that's how you become invisible iron fish, which has a fantastic appearance with a completely flat silvery bottom that reflects light. But the main task of photophores is, of course, the designation of individuals of the same species.

telescopic eyes

It is clear that with such developed organs of luminescence, vision should not be worse. Indeed, many of these fish have very complex telescopic eyes. So, close to the ironfish bathylychnops- a unique four-eyed fish, in which two main eyes are directed obliquely upwards, and two additional ones are directed forward and downward, which allows it to receive an almost circular image.

Many fish, especially giganthurs and bathyleptuses, have telescopic eyes on stalks, which allows them to perceive very weak light sources, such as radiation from other fish.

Blind deep sea fish

With a further increase in depth and the complete disappearance of signs of light, vision ceases to play an important role and the eyes gradually atrophy. Completely blind views appear. Many of these deep-sea creatures are passive, with flabby, gelatinous bodies often lacking tail fins. Having descended four kilometers into the water, you will see rat-tailed grenadiers with "armored" heads and sensitive antennae, typhlonus, which most of all resemble a small airship, they have no tail fin, they are completely blind and hunt only at the expense of the lateral line, galateataum, which lure prey right in your mouth ... And, of course, the most amazing anglerfish lasiognathus, or Lasiognathus saccostoma(which, by the way, means in translation "the ugliest among the ugly"). The fish called Bombay ducks, - scaleless, large-mouthed, distinguished by a flabby texture of a fatty body and a brown-brown color. Ateleopus - gelatinous, covered with smooth slippery skin, it most of all resembles a huge half-meter tadpole. His head makes a great impression - not at all a fish, soft and translucent, covered with delicate slippery skin, it resembled something jelly-like. A small funnel-shaped and completely toothless mouth raised strong doubts about the ability of its owner to eat fish and crustaceans.

Fish that can't swim

sea ​​bats (Ogcocephalidae) only "in a plastunsky way" crawl along the bottom with the help of "arms and legs" - pectoral and ventral fins. They spend their entire lives lying on the bottom, passively waiting for prey. The family contains 7 - 8 genera and about 35 bottom species living in tropical and subtropical waters of the World Ocean. They are characterized by a huge disk-shaped flattened head and a short narrow body covered with bony tubercles or spikes. They have a small mouth with small teeth and tiny gill openings. A short "rod" (illicium), which is crowned with a bait (eska), is drawn into a special vagina - a tube located above the mouth itself. A hungry fish throws out an illicium and lures prey by rotating the esca. The largest marine bats do not exceed 35 cm in length.

In the countries of Southeast Asia from disc bats (Halieutaea) make baby rattles. Cut out from dried fish abdominal cavity, completely scrape out the insides, put small pebbles in their place; the incision is carefully sewn up and the spikes covering the body are ground down.

Only females have rods

Lasiognath males Lasiognathus saccostoma larvae also differ from females in the absence of an “illicia” rod. During metamorphosis in males, the head and jaws are greatly reduced, the eyes remain large, and the olfactory organs are greatly enlarged. In females, the opposite is true: the head and jaws increase greatly, and the olfactory and visual organs become smaller; in the adult state, the “ladies” reach 7.5 cm. In addition, the males have special teeth in the front of the mouth, merging with their bases and serving to capture microprey and attach to females.

When the male is ten times smaller than the female and fuses with her

The ability to self-fertilize
Alepisaurus (Alepisaurus) potentially capable of self-fertilization: each individual produces eggs and sperm at the same time. And during spawning, some individuals function as females, while others function as males. Alepizaurs are large, up to 2 m long, predatory fish that live in the pelagial of the open ocean. Translated from Latin, it means "scaleless beast", a characteristic inhabitant of open ocean waters.

Spawning of deep sea fish

…occurs at great depths. Developing eggs gradually rise upward, and larvae 2–3 mm long hatch in the near-surface layer of 30–200 m, where they feed mainly on copepods and planktonic chaetognatha. By the beginning of metamorphosis, the juveniles have time to descend to a depth of more than 1000 m. Apparently, their immersion is completed quickly, since females at the stage of metamorphosis are found in layer 2–2.5 thousand m, and males at the same stage at a depth of 2 thousand m. In the layer of 1500 - 2000 m, both sexes live, which have undergone metamorphosis and have reached maturity, but sometimes adults are also found at shallower depths.

Adult females feed mainly on deep-sea bathypelagic fish, crustaceans and, less frequently, cephalopods, while adult males, like larvae, feed on copepods and chaetognaths. The vertical migrations of deep-sea anglerfish associated with individual development are explained by the fact that only in the near-surface layer their inactive and numerous larvae can find enough food to accumulate reserves for the upcoming metamorphosis. Huge losses due to the eating of eggs and larvae by predators are compensated in anglers by a very high fecundity. Their caviar is small (no more than 0.5 - 0.7 mm in diameter), their transparent larvae resemble tiny cans, due to the fact that they are dressed in a skin case inflated with gelatinous tissue. This fabric increases the buoyancy and size of the larvae, which, along with transparency, protects them from small predators.

Hunting with a vacuum

Interesting to hunt sticktail(Stylophorus chordatus)- a bizarre fish with telescopic eyes and two long tail rays, forming an elastic rod, exceeding the length of the fish itself. Waiting for the appearance of prey (small crustaceans), the sticktail slowly drifts in an upright position. When the crustacean is nearby, the fish sharply pushes its tubular mouth forward, increasing the volume of the oral cavity by almost 40 times, and the crustacean is instantly drawn into this vacuum trap.

deep sea predators

There are many fast swimmers in the water column of medium depths, especially among predators. They pierce the water column, rising to the surface, and there, while chasing flies, sometimes jump out into the air. it dagger teeth(for example, Anotopterus nikparini), alepisaurs, godwit, rexia. All of them have powerful teeth and a long, slender body that allows them to pursue prey in a steal and easily evade pursuers. But all the same, when you see these swift hunters, their "deepness" is easily guessed by the same characteristic sagging of their bodies. However, this does not prevent them from attacking such strong fish as salmon, and leaving characteristic cut wounds with their powerful jaws. Rexia seem to sometimes hunt cooperatively. They tear their prey to pieces, and then parts of the same prey are found in the stomachs of different predators caught by the same trawl.

Many of these deep-sea hunters have a very striking and memorable appearance. So, the alepisaurs are “decorated” with a huge flag-shaped fin and, with a one and a half meter length, weigh only about 5 kilograms, their body is so runny.

scary teeth underwater world

Big-headed dagger-tooth (Anotopterus nikparini) - large (up to 1.5 m long), not numerous inhabitant of medium depths of 500-2200 m, is presumably found at depths up to 4100 m, although its juveniles rise to a depth of 20 m. It is widespread in its subtropical and temperate regions of the Pacific, summer months penetrates north to the Bering Sea.

An elongated, serpentine body and a large head with huge beak-shaped jaws make the appearance of this fish so peculiar that it is difficult to confuse it with someone else. characteristic feature external structure daggertooth is its huge mouth - the length of the jaws is about three-quarters of the length of the head. Moreover, the size and shape of the teeth on different jaws of the dagger-tooth differ significantly: on the upper - they are powerful, saber-shaped, reaching 16 mm in large specimens; on the bottom - small, subulate, directed backwards and not exceeding 5–6 mm.

Research carried out in last decade scientists different countries, showed that the daggertooth is an active predator. He hunts, as a rule, on schooling pelagic fish, such as saury, herring and Pacific salmon - pink salmon, sockeye salmon and sim. Based on data on the shape, location, and direction of cuts on the victim's body (mainly from the back to the lower body), scientists believe that the dagger-tooth attacks mainly from below. Most likely, he is waiting for his prey, hovering in the water column with his head up. In this case, the best disguise is provided and the predator can get close to the prey as close as possible. When attacking, two options are possible: a direct throw vertically upwards and a throw with a short-term pursuit of the victim. It is unlikely that the daggertooth, with its not very muscular body and poorly developed tail, could have pursued such good swimmers as salmon for a long time.

Of particular interest is the question of how the daggertooth manages to inflict such serious damage on such large fish as Pacific salmon. After examining the structure of the teeth of the daggertooth, scientists came to the conclusion that cut wounds “help” him to make the salmon themselves. The attacked fish actively tries to escape after the predator managed to grab it. But the awl-shaped teeth of the lower jaw directed backwards firmly hold the prey. However, if she makes a turn around the axis of capture, releasing her body from the mandibular teeth of a predator, she immediately manages to escape, but at the same time the body is cut by the saber-shaped teeth of a dagger-tooth.

Refrigerator in the stomach
Alepisaurus, swift predators, have an interesting feature: food is digested in their intestines, and the stomach contains completely whole prey, seized at various depths. And thanks to this toothy fishing tool, scientists have described many new species.

Angler swallows whole

Real deep-sea hunters resemble monstrous creatures frozen in the darkness of the bottom layers with huge teeth and weak muscles. They are passively attracted by slow deep currents, or they simply lie on the bottom. With their weak muscles, they cannot tear pieces out of prey, so they do it easier - they swallow it whole ... even if it is larger than the hunter. This is how anglers hunt - fish with a lonely mouth, to which they forgot to attach a body. And this waterfowl, bared by a palisade of teeth, waves its antennae with a luminous light at the end in front of it.

Anglerfish are small in size, reaching only 20 centimeters in length. Most large species anglers, for example ceraria, reach almost half a meter, others - melanocet or borofrine have an outstanding appearance .

Sometimes anglers attack such large fish that an attempt to swallow them sometimes leads to the death of the hunter himself. So, once a 10-centimeter anglerfish was caught, choking on a 40-centimeter longtail.

While sorting out the catch after a deep-sea trawl in the western Pacific, scientists drew attention to the tightly stuffed abdomen of a tiny 6 cm anglerfish, from which seven freshly swallowed victims were recovered, including a 16 cm fish! Perhaps gluttony was the result of his brief association with the captives of the trawl.

Like a mitten, pulls on the prey

Crookshanks(Pseudoscopelus) has an amazing ability to frequently swallow living creatures that exceed their own size. This is a scaleless fish about 30 cm long, with flaccid muscles and a huge mouth armed with hefty teeth. Its jaws, body, and stomach can be highly stretched, allowing it to swallow large prey. Some Zhivoglost have the ability to glow. Previously, they were considered quite rare species, and only recently it has been established that they are willingly eaten by marlin and tuna, descending to these depths for fattening.

However, many of them can swallow the victim whole more than themselves. For example, a 14 cm howlilod is placed in the stomach of an 8 cm giant.

New discoveries of deep sea fish

Last year, the Tangaroa explored the Tasman Sea for four weeks, catching 500 fish species and 1,300 invertebrate species.

Among other things, a fossilized tooth of a megalodon, an extinct shark that was twice the size of the modern great white shark, was discovered.

During the expedition, strange and wonderful marine life was discovered, for example, fish with a tongue covered with teeth, or teeth that rotate as if on loops to absorb large prey. Or, say, a fish was caught whose elongated head, like a metal detector, serves to detect electrical impulses produced by prey hiding at the bottom of the sea.

The researchers were greatly impressed by saber-toothed fish with two sharp teeth that protrude from the lower jaw and go into special cavities located on the head.

Among the newly discovered species is the sea mouse, which walks on the seabed. Her fins almost turned into legs, and her head is like a unicorn's.

Deep Sea Chimera

An unknown species of fish has been discovered in the deep-water depressions of the Atlantic Ocean near Rio de Janeiro, which can be considered a living fossil. Named Hydrolagus by Brazilian scientists matallanasi, this fish related to subspecies of chimeras, has hardly changed over the past 150 million years.

Along with sharks and rays, chimeras belong to the cartilaginous order, but they are the most primitive and may well be considered living fossils, since their ancestors appeared on Earth 350 million years ago. They were living witnesses of all the cataclysms on the planet and plowed the ocean a hundred million years before the appearance of the first dinosaurs on Earth."

Fish up to 40 centimeters long lives at great depths, in giant depressions up to 700-800 meters deep, so until now it could not be found. Her skin is equipped with sensitive nerve endings, with which she captures the slightest movement in absolute darkness. Despite the deep sea habitat, the chimera is not blind, it has huge eyes.

What are tactile hairs for?

Some deep-sea fish have tactile hairs on their chins or near their mouths. As soon as a careless victim touches them, she finds herself in the mouth of a predator.

When lifting deep-sea fish to the top
Deep-sea fish can withstand the enormous pressure of the water at the bottom of the ocean, and it is such that the fish that live in the upper layers of the water would be crushed. When relatively deep-sea perciformes are lifted, their swim bladder turns outward due to a drop in pressure. To stay at a constant depth and adapt to the pressure of water on the body, they are helped primarily by the swim bladder. Deep-sea fish constantly pump gas into it so that the bubble does not flatten from external pressure. In order to ascend, the gas from the swim bladder must be released, otherwise, when the water pressure decreases, it will stretch greatly. However, gas is released from the swim bladder slowly.

One of the features of real deep-sea fish is precisely its absence. When rising up, they die, but without visible changes.