Deep sea creatures. The most terrible inhabitants of the deep sea
DEEP-SEA ANIMALS, inhabitants of the World Ocean at a depth of 200 to 11,022 m (Marian Trench). There are faunas of the slope (batyali), the ocean floor (abyssal) and ocean trenches (ultraabyssal, or hadal, with a depth of more than 6000 m). The ocean floor accounts for about 55% of the Earth's surface, it is the largest and least studied biotope. Great depths are characterized by high pressure (increases by 1 atmosphere every 10 m), lack of light, low temperature(2-4 °C), lack of food and bottom covered with thin silty sediment. The main source of nutrients coming from the upper horizons of the water column are flows of organomineral particles and lumps (“marine snow”), as well as the remains of (pelagic) animals that lived in the water column (“dead rain”); in high latitudes the sedimentation of phytodetritus plays an important role, especially intensive during the period of “blooming” of water (in 3-4 days its flow reaches the bottom, forming a continuous layer up to 3 cm thick on it). Features of the animal world of great depths are determined by habitat conditions. So, the most striking difference between deep-sea animals is the simplification of their organization and the presence of devices for keeping on semi-liquid soil (flat body shape, long limbs - stilts, etc.). There are many transparent forms among planktonic organisms. Bioluminescence is widely used to illuminate and lure prey (anglerfish), camouflage, warn, scare or distract predators (Acanthephyra shrimp and Heterotheutis cuttlefish release clouds of luminous liquid as a smoke screen), as well as to attract individuals of the opposite sex (shelly crustaceans, octopuses of the genus Japetella). There is counter-illumination - "illumination" from below, making the body invisible in dim lighting from above (in squid, shrimp, fish). Many pelagic crustaceans have a protective red coloration, since the organs of vision in deep-sea predators do not perceive red.
Among the large forms living at the bottom, echinoderms, crustaceans, mollusks, polychaete worms. The maximum species diversity (perhaps even greater than in the wet tropical forest) are distinguished by small animals (meiobenthos) 30–500 µm in size, among which nematodes and crayfish from the harpacticoid order dominate. For macrobenthos, there is an increase species diversity with depth. For example, in the North Atlantic the largest number species of polychaete worms, gastropods and bivalves and cumaceans fall at a depth of 2000-3000 m.
Deeper than 10,000 m, there are foraminifers, scyphoids of the genus Stephanoscyphus, sea anemones of the genus Galatheanthemum, nematodes of the genus Desmoscolex, polychaete worms of the subfamily Macellicephalinae, echiurids of the genus Vitjazema, harpacticoids of the genus Bradya, isopods of the genus Macrostylis, amphipods of the genus Hirondella, bivalves of the genus Protochusoyoldi. At a depth of 6000-7000 m, long-tailed and linden fish live, at a depth of more than 8000 m, erroneous fish are noted. Population density per great depths usually small, but accumulations of animals are known, for example, the holothurians Kolga hyalina in the North Atlantic at a depth of 3800 m. Floating high above the bottom (sometimes for kilometers), they are carried by deep currents. Some deep-sea animals have developed live birth and gestation of juveniles. See also hydrothermal fauna.
Lit .: Belyaev G. M. Deep ocean trenches and their fauna. M., 1989; Gage I. D., Tyler R. A. Deep-sea biology: a natural history of organisms at the deep-sea floor. Camb., 1991; Ecosystems of the deep ocean / Ed. R. A. Tyler. Amst.; L., 2003.
The sea that most people associate with summer vacation and a wonderful pastime on the sandy beach under the scorching sun, is the source of most unsolved mysteries stored in uncharted depths.
The existence of life under water
Swimming, having fun and enjoying the open spaces of the sea during their holidays, people do not realize that it is not far from them. And there, in the zone of deep impenetrable darkness, where not a single sunbeam reaches, where there are no acceptable conditions for the existence of any organisms, there is a deep-sea world.
The first studies of the deep sea
The first naturalist who ventured into the abyss in order to check whether there are inhabitants of the deep sea was William Beebe, an American zoologist who specially assembled an expedition to study the unknown world from Bahamas. Diving to the bottom in a bathyscaphe to a depth of 790 meters, the scientist discovered a wide variety of living organisms. depths - imposing fish of all colors of the rainbow with hundreds of paws and sparkling teeth - lit up the impenetrable water with sparks and flashes.
The research of this fearless man made it possible to break the myths about the impossibility of life at the bottom due to the lack of light and the presence of highest pressure, which does not allow the presence of any organisms. The truth lies in the fact that deep-sea inhabitants, adapting to the environment, create their own pressure similar to the external one. The existing fat layer helps these organisms swim freely on great depths(up to 11 kilometers). Eternal darkness adapts such unusual creatures for itself: the eyes that they do not need there are replaced by baroreceptors - special and sense of smell, allowing you to instantly respond 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 jaws, sharp teeth, lack of eyes, external coloration - all this is so unusual that it seems unreal, fictional. In fact, the depths in order to survive are forced to simply adapt to the whims of the environment.
After many studies, scientists have come to the conclusion that even today on seabed may exist ancient forms life, hidden at great depths from ongoing evolutionary processes. To this day, you can find spiders the size of a plate and jellyfish with 6-meter tentacles.
Megalodon: monster shark
Of great interest is the megalodon - a prehistoric animal of enormous size. The weight of this monster is up to 100 tons with a 30-meter length. The two-meter mouth of the monster is littered with several rows of 18-centimeter teeth (there are 276 in total), sharp as a razor.
The life of an amazing inhabitant of the deep sea terrifies none of which is 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 with a megalodon in the sea, which confirms the version of its existence today.
Anglerfish or Monkfish
The rarest deep-sea animal of ugly appearance lives in salty waters - monkfish (anglerfish), first discovered in 1891. In place of the missing scales on his body are ugly bumps and growths, and swaying tatters of skin, reminiscent of algae, hang around his mouth. Due to the dark coloration that gives nondescriptness, the giant head dotted with spikes and the huge mouth gap, this deep-sea animal is rightfully considered the ugliest on planet Earth.
Several rows of sharp teeth and a long fleshy appendage sticking out of the head and serving as bait represent the most real threat for fish. Enticing 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 voracity, these amazing inhabitants of the deep sea can attack prey many times larger than them. If the outcome is unsuccessful, both die: the victim - from wounds, the aggressor - from the fact that he suffocated.
Interesting Facts About Anglerfish Breeding
The fact of reproduction of these fish is of interest: the male, when meeting with a girlfriend, bites into her teeth, growing to the gill cover. Connecting to someone else circulatory system and feeding on the juices of the female, the male actually becomes one with her, losing the jaws, intestines, and eyes that have become unnecessary. The main function of attached fish in given period sperm production begins. Several males can be attached to one female, several times smaller than her in size and weight, which, in the event of the death of the latter, die with her. Being commercial fish, monkfish is considered a delicacy. Especially its meat is appreciated by the French.
Huge squid - mesonichtevis
Of the most famous mollusks of the planet, living at great depths, mesonichtevis, the squid, strikes with its size. colossal proportions with a streamlined body shape that allows him to move at great speed. The eye of this monster of the deep sea is considered the largest on the planet, reaching a diameter of 60 centimeters. The first description of a huge inhabitant of the 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 thrown off the coast of Japan. Scientists suggest that adults reach 5 meters in size and weigh about 200 kilograms.
It was previously believed that the squid was able to destroy its enemy - the sperm whale - by holding it under water. In reality, the threat to the prey of the mollusk is its tentacles, with which it penetrates the victim's blowhole. A feature of the squid is its ability long time to exist without food, therefore the lifestyle of the latter is sedentary, involving disguise and a quiet pastime while waiting for the unfortunate victim.
Amazing sea dragon
With its fantastic appearance, the leafy sea dragon (rag-picker, sea pegasus) stands out in the thickness of the salty waters. Translucent fins of a greenish tint, covering the body and serving to mask unusual fish, resemble colorful plumage and constantly sway from the movement of water.
Living only off the coast of Australia, the rag-picker reaches a length of 35 centimeters. He swims very slowly maximum speed up to 150 m / h, which is in the hands of any predator. The life of an amazing inhabitant of the deep sea consists of many dangerous situations in which one’s own appearance is salvation: clinging to plants, a leafy sea dragon merges with them and becomes completely invisible. The offspring is carried by the male in a special bag in which the female lays her eggs. These inhabitants of the deep sea are especially interesting for children because of their unusual appearance.
giant isopod
In the marine space, among the many unusual creatures, such inhabitants of the deep sea as isopods (giant-sized crayfish) stand out for their 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 curl up into a ball.
Most of the representatives of these crustaceans, preferring loneliness, 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 sinking to the bottom of 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 do without it for a long time (up to several weeks). Most likely, the accumulated layer of fat, gradually and rationally consumed, helps them to maintain their vital activity.
drop fish
One of the most scary inhabitants the bottom on the planet is a drop fish (see deep-sea photos below).
Small, close-set eyes and a large mouth with downward corners vaguely resemble the face of a sad person. It is assumed that the fish lives at a depth 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 safely swim for 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 this organism in danger of extinction. Living off the coast of Tasmania and Australia, it easily becomes the prey of fishermen and is sold as souvenirs.
When laying eggs, a drop fish sits on the eggs to the last, subsequently carefully and for a long time taking care of the hatched fry. Trying to find quiet and uninhabited places for them in deep water, the female responsibly guards 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 together with algae only in fishing nets.
Sack swallower: small and gluttonous
At a depth of up to 3 kilometers, a representative of the perciformes lives - the bag-eater (black eater). This name was given to the fish due to the ability to feed on prey, several times its size. It can swallow organisms four times longer than itself 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 bag-swallower discovered near the Cayman Islands contained the remains of a fish about 90 cm long. Moreover, the victim was a rather aggressive mackerel, which causes complete bewilderment: how could a small fish overcome a large and strong opponent?
These amazing inhabitants of the deep sea have a dark color, a medium-sized head and large jaws with three front teeth on each of them, forming sharp fangs. With their help, the bag swallower holds its prey, pushing it into the stomach. Moreover, 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 raises the bag-eater to the surface, where they find strange representatives of the 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 vicious character. The smooth, scaleless body allows the predator to effectively disguise itself in the muddy bottom, waiting for the prey swimming by. Moray eels spend most of their lives in shelters (on a rocky bottom or in coral reefs with their cracks and grottoes), where it waits for prey.
Outside the caves, the front part of the body and the head usually remain with a constantly ajar mouth. The color of the moray eel is an excellent disguise: the yellow-brown color with spots scattered over it resembles the color of a leopard. The moray eel feeds on crustaceans and any fish that can be caught. For eating sick and weak individuals, she is also called the "marine orderly." Sad cases of eating people are known. This happens due to the inexperience of the latter when dealing with fish and persistently pursuing it. Having seized the prey, the predator will open its jaws only after its death, and not before.
Joint fishing for marine predators
Scientists are of great interest to the recently discovered joint fishing of fish, which are antipodes in nature. Moray eels hide in coral reefs during the hunt, where they wait for prey. being a predator, hunts in open space, which forces small fish to hide in reefs, therefore, in the mouth of moray eels. A hungry perch is always the initiator of a joint hunt, swimming up to the moray eel and shaking its head, which means an invitation to a mutually beneficial fishery. If the moray eel, in anticipation of a delicious dinner, agrees to a tempting offer, it gets out of its hiding place and swims to the gap with the hidden prey, which the perch points to. Moreover, the prey caught together is also eaten together; the moray eel shares with the perch the caught fish.
The selection presents a wide variety of living creatures that inhabit the depths of the sea: strange and unusual, creepy and frightening, colorful and incredibly cute. Many of them have been opened recently.
Marine "flycatcher"
These predator shells live in deep-sea canyons near California. According to the method of hunting, they are somewhat similar to carnivorous plants, they are fixed at the bottom and calmly wait until the unsuspecting prey itself swims into the gaping mouth. This way of eating does not allow them to be too picky in food.
shark walker
Off the coast of Halmahera Island (Indonesia) was discovered the new kind a shark that "walked" along the bottom in search of prey, just like a lizard. unusual fish a relative of the bamboo shark, grows up to 70 cm in length. She hunts mainly at night, and small fish and invertebrates become her dinner. And by the way, this is far from the only fish that “walks” along the seabed. Representatives of the family of bats and lungfish are able to walk on fins.
Christmas tree
Fans of marine fauna and divers call the colorful inhabitants of the Pacific and Indian Ocean so. In fact, it is a tubular polychaete sea worm, its Latin names are Spirobranchus giganteus.
No fish, no...
This is a mollusc and it does not fit at all into the idea of how gastropods should actually look like. Tethys (Tethys fimbria) are quite large, about 30 cm long, their almost shapeless translucent body is decorated with bright processes irregular shape. Tethys are common in the waters of the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean where they slowly glide across the seabed.
Pugaporcinus
If there was a competition for the title of "weirdest worm", pugaporcinus would easily bypass all the other participants. These unusual inhabitants ocean depths better known in narrow circles as "flying buttocks". Their existence was only recently known, in 2007. The creature is no larger than a hazelnut.
tripod fish
Bright hallmark This fish is long thin pectoral fins, with which it rests on the seabed and stands in anticipation of prey. Not surprisingly, the name of this fish is Brachypterois grallator, or simply tripod fish. Scientists still know little about them, since the creatures live at a depth of 1000 to 4500 meters. The length of the fish is about 30-35 cm.
Thaumaticht axel
These representatives of the anglerfish detachment were discovered not so long ago, but are named after the Danish prince Christian Axel, who died in the middle of the last century. Axel is considered one of the strangest and most unattractive creatures, although there are not so many sympathies that live at a depth of 3500 meters (remember at least the star of the Internet - a drop fish). In length, they reach 50 cm, or rather, scientists managed to meet fish of this size. In the creature's mouth is a special gland with luminous bacteria. To start the hunt, the fish simply open their mouths and potential victims will float to the light source.
moonfish
bat
A fish from the family of ray-finned detachment of the very ugly anglerfish. Widely distributed in warm tropical and subtropical seas, except for the Mediterranean. Lives at depths up to 100 meters.
sea spiders
These harmless creatures live in almost all waters with normal salinity. As with common spiders, their body is relatively small from 1 to 7 cm, but the leg span can be up to 50 cm. There are about 1000 species of sea spiders.
mantis shrimp
This colorful creature has unique vision and moves at incredible speed, but most of the time the true predator hides in coral reefs at a depth of 2 to 70 meters. Sometimes it is called a fighting cancer or even a terrorist cancer. Officially, he is a mantis shrimp. Why, it becomes clear at a glance. The segments of the mandibles of these crayfish are bent at an angle, like in praying mantises. Just like insects, crayfish are able to instantly throw a limb forward, much faster than a person blinks.
giant underwater pipe
Pyrosomes or fireballs are tiny sea creatures somewhat similar to jellyfish, they are only a few millimeters long, but, uniting in a giant colony, they create huge translucent pipes up to several meters long. And it is also worth remembering that they are capable of bioluminescence. Imagine a huge underwater pipe glowing in the night - a breathtaking sight.
You will not believe that such strange deep-sea creatures exist. They come in all shapes and sizes, and they are all bizarre. It's like they're alien beings that somehow ended up on Earth! Have you seen these deep sea creatures before? Here are 25 of the strangest creatures ever discovered that live deep underwater.
25. Medusa Marrus orthocanna
This animal is actually a colony of several polyps and jellyfish. When they are connected to each other, the orange gas that passes through them resembles the breath of fire.
24. Mantis shrimp
Photo: commons.wikimedia.org
This strange and colorful crustacean is quite unique! There are 16 color receptors in the eyes of the mantis shrimp (humans have only 3), which means that these crustaceans have extremely developed color vision!
23. Ofiura (Star-basket)
Photo: wikimedia commons
strange looking" starfish", the brittle star is distinguished by the presence of the fifth middle tentacle, which branches off further and further, forming a grid resembling a basket. To catch prey, these stars spread their tentacles.
22. Tardigrades
Photo: commons.wikimedia.org
Also known as water bears, these microscopic creatures have long, plump bodies with flat heads. They are virtually indestructible and are said to survive in outer space!
21. Giant tube worms
Photo: commons.wikimedia.org
These strange creatures were completely unknown to the world until scientists studying hydrothermal vents in the Pacific Ocean discovered them nearby. Unlike other living beings, they do not need light to survive: they have adapted to the dark and feed on bacteria.
20. Sixgill Shark
Photo: wikimedia commons
One of the most interesting deep sea sharks, the sixgill shark is unique because of its six gills, because unlike other sharks that have five gills, this shark has six! They are also more common than other sharks, but don't worry, this creature rarely poses a threat to humans.
19. Atlantic Catfish
Photo: commons.wikimedia.org
This fish got its name from its appearance: it boasts two protruding teeth resembling wolf fangs. Fortunately, these creatures are safe for humans, they live in the Atlantic Ocean.
18. Lobster the Terrible Claw
Photo: wikimedia commons
The Terrible Claw Lobster was discovered in 2007. Its claws are distinctly different from those of most lobsters, which is how it got its name. Researchers and scientists are still not sure about the purpose of the claw.
17. Giant isopod
Photo: commons.wikimedia.org
The giant isopod is closely related to shrimp and crabs. This isopod became so huge because of deep sea gigantism, a phenomenon where deep sea creatures grow larger than their shallow water relatives.
16. Stargazer fish
Photo: commons.wikimedia.org
This fish uses a special camouflage pattern to blend in with the sand, exposing only its eyes. As soon as she senses her prey nearby, she sends out an electric shock to stun and grab it. This fish can be found in the Atlantic Ocean.
15. Barrel-eyed fish
Photo: wikimedia commons
most unique feature of this fish is its transparent head. Barrel-shaped eyes can rotate in the head to look straight ahead or up.
14. Bigmouth eel
Photo: wikimedia commons
The first thing anyone can notice is the huge mouth of this eel. The mouth opens and closes freely and can swallow animals much larger than the eel itself!
13. Octopus Dumbo
Photo: wikimedia commons
This octopus gets its name from its pectoral fins, which resemble the ears of the Disney character Dumbo. Octopuses live at a depth of at least 4,000 meters and can probably dive deeper, making this creature the deepest inhabitant of all octopuses.
12. Viperfish
Photo: wikimedia commons
The viper fish is one of the most ferocious predators in deep sea waters. This fish is easily recognizable by its large mouth and sharp fangs. Their teeth are so long that they don't even fit in their mouths.
11 Big Mouth Shark
Photo: commons.wikimedia.org
Since its discovery 39 years ago, only 100 have been seen, thus earning the title of Alien Shark, this shark is virtually non-existent. Largemouth sharks do not pose a threat to humans, as they feed by filtering plankton.
10. Angler(angler)
Photo: wikimedia commons
There are over 200 species of anglerfish, most of which live in the dark depths of the Atlantic and Antarctic oceans. This fish got its name because of the long dorsal spike that resembles a fishing rod.
9 Goblin Shark
Photo: wikimedia commons
When it comes to looks, this shark is the weirdest of them all. She has a flat, protruding muzzle that resembles a sword. Her ancestry goes back to Cretaceous period, which was on Earth about 125 million years ago.
8. Chimera
Photo: wikimedia commons
Found in the ocean at a depth of 1200 meters, chimeras are among the most unique fish living in the depths. They have no bones in their body: the entire skeleton is made up of cartilage. To search for food, they use special sense organs that respond to electricity.
7. Drop fish
Photo: ommons.wikimedia.org
In 2013, the Blobfish was named the world's ugliest animal. Blobfish can be found all over the ocean floor in the deep waters of Australia.
6 Giant Squid
Photo: commons.wikimedia.org
The giant squid is the largest invertebrate in the world, about the size of a bus! Despite such an impressive size, scientists were not lucky to find their traces, except for dead carcasses caught by fishermen.
5. Long-horned sabertooth
Photo: wikimedia commons
The longhorn sabertooth has the longest teeth for a fish, compared to body size. This fish is only 15 cm long and has very large teeth!
4 Vampire Squid
Photo: wikimedia commons
Vampire squids are quite small, about the size of a soccer ball. This squid gets its name from its blood red color. Interesting fact: Vampire squids do not emit ink, instead their tentacles exude a bioluminescent sticky slime.
3. Dragon fish
Photo: wikimedia commons
deep sea Sea Dragon lives at a depth of 1,500 meters and got its name because of the long, thin, dragon-like body. The Dragonfish has a large head and sharp teeth, as well as a growth on the underside of its chin which the dragon uses to grasp its prey.
2 Frilled Shark
Photo: commons.wikimedia.org
Known as a living fossil, the Frilled Shark belongs to one of the most ancient families of sharks. Her ancestors lived 300 million years ago! These sharks are found all over the world but are rarely seen. The most notable feature of this shark is its rows of inward-pointing teeth.
1 Giant Crab Spider
Photo: flickr
The giant crab spider is the largest of the known species crabs and can live up to 100 years! Its legs can reach a length of 4.5 meters, and the uneven skin allows the crab to easily blend into the seabed. Pretty cool!
Incredible Facts
Perhaps we should stop looking for aliens on other planets, since enough lives in the ocean amazing and strange shapes life more like aliens.
4 Goblin Shark
The goblin shark is rarely seen on the surface, as it mostly inhabits at a depth of 270 to 1300 meters.
It is easily recognizable by its elongated and flattened muzzle with retractable jaws with teeth as sharp as nails. These sharks reach 3-4 meters in length, but can grow more than 6 meters.
5 Sea Spider
If you thought that there were no spiders in the ocean, you were greatly mistaken. However, sea spiders have nothing to do with terrestrial spiders, despite resemblance. These are not spiders and not even arachnids, but chelicerae - a subtype arthropods.
They live in the seas, especially in the Mediterranean and Caribbean, as well as in the North and South. Arctic oceans. There is more 1300 species sea spiders , ranging in size from 1-10 mm to 90 cm.
6. Pompeii worm
Pompeii worms ( Alvinella pompejana) live in very hot water near the hydrothermal vents of the Pacific Ocean and can withstand extreme temperature and pressure.
7. Drop fish
Drop fish ( Psychrolutes marcidus) although it is considered the ugliest creature in the world, looks like a perfectly normal fish in its normal environment at a depth of 600-1200 meters.
At this depth, the pressure is 120 times higher than at the surface. Unlike other fish, it does not have a swim bladder, skeleton or muscles, which allows it to swim at depth. If you raise it to the surface, it acquires drooping and dull look.
Sea creatures
8 Bobbit Polychaete Worm
The purple Australian polychaete worm, also known as the Bobbit worm, can grow up to 3 meters long.
He hunts his prey in the most diabolical way, burrowing into the seabed, leaving a small part of his body on the surface and waiting for the victim. Using its antennae, the worm senses passing prey, quickly captures it with its strong muscular throat, and splits the fish in two.
9. Jellyfish "flower hat"
These jellyfish, with beautiful multi-colored tentacles emanating from a translucent umbrella, feed on small fish and sometimes each other.
They can increase or decrease in size dependent on food supplies.
10. Seahorse-rag-picker
These slow moving fish are related to seahorses. They rely mainly on their processes, resembling seaweed, thanks to which the rag-pickers camouflage and protect themselves from predators.
11. Siphonophores
Siphonophores are animal colonies, consisting of individual representatives called zooids, connected by a common trunk. Such a colony can reach several meters in length.
12. Crown jellyfish
This atoll jellyfish or crown jellyfish is very similar to a UFO, because, like most jellyfish, it does not have a digestive, respiratory, circulatory and central nervous system.
She lives deep 1000 - 4000 meters where it does not penetrate sunlight. Being frightened, this jellyfish "connects" bioluminescent blue lights that spin like flashing lights on a police car.
13. Pike blenny
These fish usually hide inside shells on the seabed. These are small (up to 30 cm), but ferocious fish with a large mouth and aggressive behavior.
When two pike blennies fight for territory, they press their wide mouths against each other as if in a kiss. This helps them determine who is bigger.
14. Glass squid
There is about 60 types of glass squid or crachniids. Most of them, as the name implies, are transparent, which helps them to disguise themselves.
15. Pteropods
Winged mollusks are small sea snails , which swim in the water on two legs in the form of wings. They are born males but become females when they reach a large size.
16. Sea cucumber
These floating deep sea cucumbers are transparent so you can see their digestive system.
deep sea dwellers
17. Squid-worm
Scientists first discovered this deep-sea creature in 2007. It was nicknamed the worm squid because of 10 tentacles on the head, each of which is longer than the entire body. He uses them to collect food.
18. Lobster formidable claws
This species lobster Dinochelus ausubeli, which means "terrible pincers", was discovered at a depth 300 meters in the Philippines in 2007. It reaches a length of only 3 cm, and its toothy claws are the only frightening feature.
19. Venus flytrap anemone
This sea anemone Actinoscyphia aurelia, was named after venus flytrap plants because of the similar shape and way of eating. She folds her disc in half, trapping food and digesting it with her mouth located in the center of the disc.