Well I really just love the ocean. That's undeniable. I love living here. Now, at this point in my life, wild horses cannot tear me away from the ocean. Well, to start this month off, I wanted to make an unusual post about some of the strangest deep-sea creatures I've ever seen. These are just what I believe are some of the strangest deep sea animals. Perhaps you know of some that you may think are stranger than mine. So let's begin...
Dragonfish
Like many deep sea animals, this fish attracts bioluminescent bacteria to it's body. But instead of only glowing blue like all other bioluminescent animals, this fish also glows red as well. But it is a good thing. Most animals in the deepest parts of the ocean cannot see red light anyways.
Fangtooth
Like many deep-sea fish, this is the stuff nightmares are made of! This is a highly-predatory fish that is obvious how it got it's name. The teeth on the bottom of it's jaws are so long, the fish cannot completely close it's mouth, so it is a permanent wide gape. Because of their long fangs, these fish are also known as "viper fish".
Fan-Fin Sea Devil
This is an unusual fish in the same family as the anglerfish also found in the deep ocean. This one has all kinds of extra "feelers" all over it's body. This fish uses a long lure-like appendage on it's head to attract prey to it's mouth. It is believed the "whiskers" all over it's body also aid in feeling for prey. Once prey is felt, this fish wastes no time in capturing it in their large jaws.
Gulper Eel
As you can see, this fish has the widest gape for it's size in the animal kingdom. The huge mouth is useful for capturing prey. They are also equipped with small, sharp teeth to also help them out.
Snipe Eel
Like the gulper eel, the snipe eel is not a true eel. But it is an elongate eel-like fish of the deep ocean. It has a long, narrow jaw, much like the beak of a snipe (bird), that does not close at the end. However, they still manage very well to capture small fish and tiny deep-sea crustaceans using their small, sharp teeth.
Goblin Shark
This shark has become quite well-known in recent years. Like all sharks, it can shoot it's jaws out of the socket, to capture prey. All sharks have this ability, but none to the extent of the goblin shark. It can shoot it's jaws out almost the entire length of it's paddle-shaped nose.
Spookfish
Though it looks a little bit like a cartoon owl, this fish is superbly adapted to see in the blackness of the deep ocean. The large eyes enable it to distinguish between sunlight and bioluminescence, which means the creatures of the deep that depend on luminescence as camouflage, are not able to put a fast one over on this fish!
Hatchetfish
There are actually 2 different fish that bears the name "hatchetfish". There are the tiny, freshwater fish that are popular aquarium fish, and then there is this guy. The deep-sea hatchetfish is an unusual sight. They use their slender, silvery bodies to hide from predators. However, this fish is a predator it's self, which feeds on tiny crustaceans. There are no vegetarian deep-sea fish, as no plants are able to grow in the blackness.
Deep-Sea Anglerfish
This is one of the most famous deep-sea fish. They are well-known for their glowing lures, which they use to attract prey close enough for them to grab and devour. One of the most notable features of this family is how much larger the female is than the male. The male lives his life as a permanent parasite on the female, feeding off her, and also fertilizing her eggs. There are actually several different varieties of anglerfish in the deep ocean. I think one of my favorites is this dog-faced variety:
Like many deep sea animals, this fish attracts bioluminescent bacteria to it's body. But instead of only glowing blue like all other bioluminescent animals, this fish also glows red as well. But it is a good thing. Most animals in the deepest parts of the ocean cannot see red light anyways.
Like many deep-sea fish, this is the stuff nightmares are made of! This is a highly-predatory fish that is obvious how it got it's name. The teeth on the bottom of it's jaws are so long, the fish cannot completely close it's mouth, so it is a permanent wide gape. Because of their long fangs, these fish are also known as "viper fish".
This is an unusual fish in the same family as the anglerfish also found in the deep ocean. This one has all kinds of extra "feelers" all over it's body. This fish uses a long lure-like appendage on it's head to attract prey to it's mouth. It is believed the "whiskers" all over it's body also aid in feeling for prey. Once prey is felt, this fish wastes no time in capturing it in their large jaws.
As you can see, this fish has the widest gape for it's size in the animal kingdom. The huge mouth is useful for capturing prey. They are also equipped with small, sharp teeth to also help them out.
Like the gulper eel, the snipe eel is not a true eel. But it is an elongate eel-like fish of the deep ocean. It has a long, narrow jaw, much like the beak of a snipe (bird), that does not close at the end. However, they still manage very well to capture small fish and tiny deep-sea crustaceans using their small, sharp teeth.
This shark has become quite well-known in recent years. Like all sharks, it can shoot it's jaws out of the socket, to capture prey. All sharks have this ability, but none to the extent of the goblin shark. It can shoot it's jaws out almost the entire length of it's paddle-shaped nose.
Though it looks a little bit like a cartoon owl, this fish is superbly adapted to see in the blackness of the deep ocean. The large eyes enable it to distinguish between sunlight and bioluminescence, which means the creatures of the deep that depend on luminescence as camouflage, are not able to put a fast one over on this fish!
There are actually 2 different fish that bears the name "hatchetfish". There are the tiny, freshwater fish that are popular aquarium fish, and then there is this guy. The deep-sea hatchetfish is an unusual sight. They use their slender, silvery bodies to hide from predators. However, this fish is a predator it's self, which feeds on tiny crustaceans. There are no vegetarian deep-sea fish, as no plants are able to grow in the blackness.
This is one of the most famous deep-sea fish. They are well-known for their glowing lures, which they use to attract prey close enough for them to grab and devour. One of the most notable features of this family is how much larger the female is than the male. The male lives his life as a permanent parasite on the female, feeding off her, and also fertilizing her eggs. There are actually several different varieties of anglerfish in the deep ocean. I think one of my favorites is this dog-faced variety:
1 comment:
I am pleased that I discovered this blog for deep sea animals , precisely the right info that I was looking for!
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