Deep-sea animals of the ocean. Deep-sea fishes of the oceans

A completely different world reigns in the depths of the seas and oceans: special flora and fauna, represented by many varieties, have not yet revealed half of their secrets to humanity. Every year, thanks to developing technologies, scientists are able to explore new areas and discover unique species of deep-sea animals.

The creatures living in little-explored waters very often amaze with their appearance - not always pretty, but certainly entertaining and mysterious. We offer you to dive into a strange and wonderful underwater kingdom with its extravagant inhabitants.

1. Moon-fish (Mola-mola)

The sunfish (sunfish, headfish) is the world's largest bony fish. The laterally flattened and somewhat elongated body shape, combined with impressive size, makes a strong impression, in addition, many individuals of this species reach three meters if the distance between the fins is calculated. This huge fish is found in all oceans located in tropical and temperate climates. The giant feeds on zooplankton, and also, most likely, small fish and algae.

2 Giant Isopod

The giant isopod is without a doubt one of the strangest creatures encountered by man in underwater world. Known to science as Bathynomus giganteus, it belongs to the group of crustaceans, being the largest member of the Bathynomus family, related to shrimps and crabs.

3 Pelagic Bigmouth Shark

It is difficult to describe a megamouth shark better than its name makes - a shark with a huge mouth. Its streamlined head is somewhat lost behind the scale of the protruding jaws. The body of the shark is decorated with white spots covering the tips of the fins, as well as a dark triangle at the throat. The average length of this outlandish marine life is 4.5 m, although scientists have found individuals larger than five meters. The bigmouth shark weighs about 750 kg.

4. Longhorn sabertooth

Known to the scientific world as Anoplogaster Cornuta, this formidable creature lives in the deep waters of many of the world's oceans. The sabertooth got its eloquent name because of the very impressive appearance of the fanged mouth. The teeth of this fish are considered the longest in proportion to body size among all the inhabitants of the seas. For its grotesque appearance, the sabertooth has earned the nickname "ogre fish".

5. Howliod (viper fish)

One of the most furious underwater predators is howliod. Its teeth are so large that they do not fit in the mouth, curving up to the eyes. It is believed that such a formidable weapon helps the fish inflict critical wounds on their victims while chasing them on high speeds. This creepy-looking creature has a long dorsal fin topped with a photophore, a light-producing organ.

6 Grenadier Fish

This species lives just above the sea floor. Leisurely swimming along its surface, the fish looks out for live prey, although it turns out not to be averse to tasting underwater carrion. In addition to a rather spectacular appearance, the grenadier has the ability to release a specific chemical compound with an extremely pungent odor. So it's really hard to get close to this small underwater monster.

7 Deep Sea Glass Squid

Extremely curious species can be found in the middle ocean depths, where rays of light that have reached through the water column, combined with the translucent bodies of underwater inhabitants, create a spectacular camouflage for the latter. For even better camouflage, some creatures, such as the glass squid, have acquired bioluminescent organs under their eyes.

8. Monkfish (football fish)

In addition to the amusing appearance, the monkfish has other interesting features. For example, males of this fish cling to the body of a much larger female and spend most of their lives in this position. While the lady takes care of her harem, gets food and builds a nest, the task of her many husbands is only to fertilize.

9 Pacific Black Dragon

The female Pacific black dragon grows up to 61 cm in length and has rather menacing-looking fangs, as well as a small beard. Compared to their imposing mates, males can boast neither their size (about 8 cm), nor teeth, nor mustaches or beards. They don’t even have a stomach, so they are not destined to eat in their short life. The only mission of the brownish male Pacific black dragon is to have time to mate with the female, who then also uses the body of a former friend as bait for prey.

10. Big Mouth (Pelican Fish)

The long body of the pelican fish passes into an equally long tail with a light-producing organ at the end. On average this ancient inhabitant seas can grow up to 80 cm. Its habitat is tropical and temperate waters.

Yesterday, September 26, was World Maritime Day. In this regard, we bring to your attention a selection of the most unusual sea creatures.

World Maritime Day has been celebrated since 1978 on one of the days of the last week of September. This international holiday was created in order to draw public attention to the problems of pollution of the seas and the disappearance of animal species living in them. Indeed, over the past 100 years, according to the UN, some fish species, including cod and tuna, have been caught by 90%, and every year about 21 million barrels of oil enter the seas and oceans.

All this causes irreparable damage to the seas and oceans and can lead to the death of their inhabitants. These include those that we will discuss in our selection.

1 Octopus Dumbo

This animal got its name due to the ear-like formations protruding from the top of its head, which resemble the ears of the Disney elephant Dumbo. However, the scientific name of this animal is Grimpoteuthis. These cute creatures live at depths of 3,000 to 4,000 meters and are among the rarest octopuses.

The largest individuals of this genus were 1.8 meters long and weighed about 6 kg. Most time, these octopuses swim above the seabed in search of food - polychaete worms and various crustaceans. By the way, unlike other octopuses, these swallow their prey whole.

2. Short-nosed bat

This fish attracts attention, first of all, with its unusual appearance, namely, bright red lips on the front of the body. As previously thought, they are necessary to attract marine life, which feeds on the bat. However, it was soon found out that this function is performed by a small formation on the head of the fish, called an eska. It gives off a specific smell that attracts worms, crustaceans and small fish.

The unusual "image" of the bat complements the no less amazing way of its movement in the water. Being a poor swimmer, he walks along the bottom on his pectoral fins.

The short-nosed bat is a deep-sea fish, and lives in the waters near the Galapagos Islands.

3. Branched brittle stars

These deep sea animals have many branched rays. Moreover, each of the rays can be 4-5 times larger than the body of these brittle stars. With the help of them, the animal catches zooplankton and other food. Like other echinoderms, branched brittle stars have no blood, and gas exchange is carried out using a special water-vascular system.

Usually branched brittle stars weigh about 5 kg, their rays can reach 70 cm in length (in branched brittle stars Gorgonocephalus stimpsoni), and the body is 14 cm in diameter.

4. Trumpet-snout harlequin

This is one of the least studied species that can, if necessary, merge with the bottom or imitate a twig of algae.

It is near the thickets of the underwater forest at a depth of 2 to 12 meters that these creatures try to stay so that in a dangerous situation they can acquire the color of the ground or the nearest plant. In the “calm” time for harlequins, they slowly swim upside down in search of food.

Looking at the photograph of the harlequin pipe-nosed, it is easy to guess that they are related to seahorses and needles. However, they differ markedly in appearance: for example, the harlequin has longer fins. By the way, this form of fins helps the ghost fish to bear offspring. With the help of elongated pelvic fins, covered on the inside with filamentous outgrowths, the female harlequin forms a special bag in which she bears eggs.

5 Yeti Crab

In 2005, an expedition exploring the Pacific Ocean discovered extremely unusual crabs that were covered with "fur" at a depth of 2,400 meters. Because of this feature (as well as coloration), they were called "yeti crabs" (Kiwa hirsuta).

However, it was not fur in the truest sense of the word, but long feathery bristles covering the chest and limbs of crustaceans. According to scientists, many filamentous bacteria live in the bristles. These bacteria purify water from toxic substances emitted by hydrothermal springs, next to which "yeti crabs" live. And there is also an assumption that these same bacteria serve as food for crabs.

6. Australian cone

This inhabiting the coastal waters of the Australian states of Queensland, New South Wales and Western Australia is found on reefs and in bays. Due to its small fins and hard scales, it swims extremely slowly.

Being a nocturnal species, the Australian pine cone spends the day in caves and under rock ledges. So, in one marine reserve in New South Wales, a small group of cones was registered, which hid under the same ledge for at least 7 years. At night, this species leaves its shelter and goes hunting on sandbars, illuminating its path with the help of luminous organs, photophores. This light is produced by a colony of symbiotic Vibrio fischeri bacteria that have settled in photophores. Bacteria can leave the photophores and simply live in seawater. However, their luminescence dims a few hours after they leave the photophores.

Interestingly, the light emitted by the luminous organs is also used by fish to communicate with relatives.

7. Lyre Sponge

The scientific name of this animal is Chondrocladia lyra. It is a species of carnivorous deep-sea sponge, and was first discovered in a Californian at a depth of 3300-3500 meters in 2012.

The sponge lyre gets its name from its harp or lyre-like appearance. So, this animal is held on seabed with the help of rhizoids, root-like formations. From their upper part stretches from 1 to 6 horizontal stolons, and on them vertical "branches" with spatulate structures at the end are located at an equal distance from each other.

Since the lyre sponge is carnivorous, it captures prey, such as crustaceans, with these “branches”. And as soon as she manages to do this, she will begin to secrete a digestive membrane that will envelop her prey. Only after that, the lyre sponge will be able to suck in the split prey through the pores.

The largest recorded sponge-lyre reaches almost 60 centimeters in length.

8. Clown

Living in almost all tropical and subtropical seas and oceans, clownfish are one of the fastest predators on the planet. After all, they are able to catch prey in less than a second!

So, having seen a potential victim, the "clown" will track it down, remaining motionless. Of course, the prey will not notice it, because the fish of this family usually resemble a plant or a harmless animal with their appearance. In some cases, when the prey comes closer, the predator will begin to move the esca, an outgrowth of the anterior dorsal fin that resembles a "fishing pole", which causes the prey to get even closer. And once a fish or other marine animal gets close enough to the clown, it will suddenly open its mouth and swallow the prey in just 6 milliseconds! Such an attack is so lightning fast that it cannot be seen without slow motion. By the way, the volume of the oral cavity of the fish while catching the victim often increases 12 times.

In addition to the speed of the clowns, no less important role their hunting is played by the unusual shape, color and texture of their cover, allowing these fish to mimic. Some clownfish resemble rocks or coral, while others resemble sponges or sea squirts. And in 2005, the Sargassum sea clown was discovered, which imitates algae. The "camouflage" of clown fish can be so good that sea slugs often crawl on these fish, mistaking them for corals. However, they need "camouflage" not only for hunting, but also for protection.

Interestingly, during the hunt, the "clown" sometimes sneaks up on prey. He literally approaches her using his pectoral and ventral fins. These fish can walk in two ways. They can alternately move their pectoral fins without using the pelvic fins, or they can transfer body weight from the pectoral fins to the pelvic fins. Gait in the latter way can be called a slow gallop.

9. Smallmouth macropinna

Dwelling in the depths of the northern part Pacific Ocean smallmouth macropinna has a very unusual appearance. She has a transparent forehead, through which she can look out for prey with her tubular eyes.

A unique fish was discovered in 1939. However, at that time it was not possible to study it well enough, in particular the structure of the cylindrical eyes of fish, which can move from a vertical position to a horizontal one and vice versa. This was only done in 2009.

Then it became clear that the bright green eyes of this small fish (it does not exceed 15 cm in length) are in the head chamber filled with a transparent liquid. This chamber is covered by a dense, but at the same time elastic transparent shell, which is attached to the scales on the body of the small-mouth macropinna. The bright green color of the fish's eyes is due to the presence of a specific yellow pigment in them.

Since the small-mouthed macropinna is characterized by a special structure of the eye muscles, its cylindrical eyes can be both in a vertical position and in a horizontal position, when the fish can look straight through its transparent head. Thus, the macropinna can notice the prey, both when it is in front of it, and when it swims above it. And as soon as the prey - usually zooplankton - is at the level of the fish's mouth, it quickly grabs it.

10 Sea Spider

These arthropods, which are not actually spiders, or at least arachnids, are common in the Mediterranean and Caribbean Seas, as well as in the Arctic and southern oceans. Today, more than 1300 species of this class are known, some of which reach 90 cm in length. However, the majority sea ​​spiders are still small in size.

These animals have long legs, of which there are usually about eight. Also, sea spiders have a special appendage (proboscis) that they use to suck food into the intestines. Most of these animals are carnivorous and feed on cnidarians, sponges, polychaete worms and bryozoans. So, for example, sea spiders often feed on sea anemones: they insert their proboscis into the body of an anemone and begin to suck in its contents. And since sea anemones are usually larger than sea spiders, they almost always survive such “torture”.

Sea spiders live in different parts world: in the waters of Australia, New Zealand, off the Pacific coast of the United States, in the Mediterranean and Caribbean seas, as well as in the Arctic and Southern oceans. Moreover, they are most common in shallow water, but can be found at a depth of up to 7000 meters. Often they hide under rocks or camouflage themselves among algae.

11. Cyphoma gibbosum

The color of the shell of this orange-yellow snail seems very bright. However, only the soft tissues of a live mollusk have this color, and not the shell. Usually Cyphoma gibbosum snails reach 25-35 mm in length, and their shell is 44 mm.

These animals live in the warm waters of the western Atlantic Ocean, including the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico and the waters of the Lesser Antilles at a depth of up to 29 meters.

12. Mantis shrimp

Living at shallow depths in tropical and subtropical seas, mantis shrimp have the most complex eyes in the world. If a person can distinguish 3 primary colors, then the mantis shrimp - 12. Also, these animals perceive ultraviolet and infrared light and see different types of light polarization.

Many animals are able to see linear polarization. For example, fish and crustaceans use it to navigate and locate prey. However, only mantis shrimp are able to see both linear polarization and the rarer, circular polarization.

Such eyes enable mantis shrimp to recognize different types of corals, their prey and predators. In addition, during the hunt, it is important for cancer to deliver accurate blows with its pointed grasping legs, which is also helped by its eyes.

By the way, sharp, serrated segments on grasping legs also help mantis shrimp to cope with a prey or predator, which can be much larger in size. So, during the attack, the mantis shrimp makes several quick kicks with its legs, which causes serious damage to the victim or kills her.

The blob fish that

It is a deep-sea bottom fish living at depths of 600 meters.

Drop fish (Blobfish)

- deep-sea fish that lives in deep waters near Australia and Tasmania. It is extremely rare for humans and is considered critically endangered.

The appearance of this strange and extremely interesting fish is very bizarre. On the front of the fish's muzzle is a process that resembles a large nose. The eyes are small and set near the "nose" in such a way that an outward resemblance to a "human" face is created. The mouth is quite large, its corners are directed downward, which is why the muzzle of the drop fish always seems to have a sad and dull expression. It is thanks to its expressive "face" that the drop fish firmly holds first place in the ranking of the strangest sea creatures.

grows up adult fish up to 30 cm. It keeps at depths of 800 - 1,500 m. The body of the fish is a watery substance with a density less than that of water. This allows the drop fish to “fly” above the bottom without expending energy on swimming. Its lack of muscles does not interfere with the hunting of small crustaceans and invertebrates. Fish soar above the ocean floor in search of food. open mouth, into which food is stuffed, or lies motionless on the ground, hoping that rare invertebrates themselves will swim into its mouth.

The blob fish has been poorly studied. Although it has been known for quite a long time in Australia as " Australian scalpin» (Australian steer) There are very few details about her life. Interest in fish increased in recent times due to the fact that it has become increasingly caught in trawl nets adapted for the extraction of deep-sea crabs and lobsters. Although trawling in the Pacific and Indian Oceans is limited, this ban is only aimed at preserving existing coral reefs, and is allowed in deep ocean areas. Therefore, biologists argue that trawling can significantly reduce the population of blobfish. There are calculations that say that it takes from 5 to 14 years to double the current number of fish.

Such a slow growth in numbers is associated with another interesting feature drop fish. She lays her eggs right on the bottom, but does not leave her clutch, but lays down on the eggs and “hatches” them until the young come out of them. Such reproduction is not typical for deep-sea fish, which lay eggs that rise to the surface and mix with plankton. Other deep-sea birds, as a rule, descend to great depths only at sexual maturity and remain there until the end of their lives. A drop fish does not leave its kilometer depth at all. The juvenile fish that were born are still under protection for some time. adult, until he gains sufficient independence for a lonely life.

Amazing creatures live at great depths of the ocean. Of all deep sea creatures sea ​​devils, or anglers, live the most amazing lives.

These creepy fish, covered with spikes and plaques, live at a depth of 1.5-3 km. The most remarkable feature of the monkfish is a fishing rod that grows out of the dorsal fin and hangs over the predatory mouth. At the end of the rod, there is a glowing gland filled with luminescent bacteria. sea ​​devils use it as bait.

The prey swims into the light, and the angler carefully moves the fishing rod to the mouth, and at some point swallows the prey very quickly. In some species, a fishing rod with a flashlight is right in the mouth, and the fish, without much bothering, simply swims with its mouth open.

Outwardly, bats are very similar to stingrays. They are also characterized by a large round (or triangular) head and a small tail, with almost total absence body. The largest representatives of bats reach half a meter in length, but basically they are somewhat smaller. In the process of evolution, the fins have completely lost the ability to keep the fish afloat, so it has to crawl along the seabed. Although they crawl with great reluctance, as a rule they spend their leisure time simply lying passively on the bottom, waiting for their prey or luring it with a special bulb growing directly from the head. Scientists have determined that this bulb is not a photophore and does not attract prey with its light. On the contrary, this process has a different function - it spreads a specific smell around its owner, which attracts small fish, crustaceans and worms.

Sea bats live everywhere in the warm waters of the oceans, without swimming in the cold waters of the Arctic. As a rule, they all keep to depths of 200 - 1000 meters, but there are species of bats that prefer to stay closer to the surface, not far from the coast. A person is quite familiar with bats, who prefer surface water. The fish is not of gastronomic interest, but its shell has become very attractive to people, especially children. Sun-dried fish leaves behind a strong shell, reminiscent of a tortoise. If you add pebbles inside it, you get a decent rattle, which since ancient times has been known to the inhabitants of the Eastern Hemisphere, living on the coast of the ocean.

As one would expect - the shell serves as a protective clothing for bats from larger deep-sea inhabitants. Only strong teeth strong predator can break the shell to get to the meat of the fish. In addition, finding a bat in the dark is not so easy. In addition to the fact that the fish is flat and merges with the surrounding landscape, the color of its shell also repeats the color of the seabed.

lancet fish

or simply lancetfish- big ocean predatory fish, which is the only living member of the genus Alepisaurus (Alepisaurus), which means "h eshuya lizards". It got its name from the word "lancet" - a medical term, a synonym for a scalpel.

With the exception of the polar seas, lancetfish can be found everywhere. However, despite its wide distribution, information about this fish is extremely scarce. Scientists are able to form an idea of ​​the fish only from a few specimens caught along with tuna. The appearance of the fish is very memorable. It has a high dorsal fin, which is almost the entire length of the fish. In height, it exceeds the fish twice, and outwardly resembles the fin of a sailfish.

The body is elongated, thin, decreasing closer to the tail and ending with the caudal peduncle. The mouth is large. The incision of the mouth ends behind the eyes. Inside the mouth, in addition to numerous small teeth, there are two or three large sharp fangs. These fangs give the fish an intimidating look of a prehistoric animal. One species of lancetfish has even been named as " alepisaurus ferocious”, which indicates a person’s alertness to fish. Indeed, looking at the mouth of a fish, it is difficult to imagine that the victim could be saved if she got into the teeth of this monster.

The lancet fish grows up to 2 m in length, which is quite comparable to the size of the barracuda, which is considered potentially dangerous to humans.

The autopsy of the caught fish has given some insight into the diet of the lancetfish. In the stomach, crustaceans were found, which make up the bulk of plankton, which is in no way associated with a formidable predator. Probably, the fish chooses plankton because they are not able to swim fast, and they simply cannot keep up with fast prey. Therefore, squids and salps dominate its diet. However, in some individuals of lancet fish, the remains of Opa, tuna and other lancets were also found. Apparently she's ambushing more fast fish, using its narrow profile and silver body coloration to camouflage. Sometimes a fish is caught on a hook during sea fishing.

Lancefish does not represent any commercial interest. Despite the edible meat, the fish is not used for food because of its watery, jelly-like body.

sack swallower this fish is named for its ability to swallow prey, which is several times larger than itself. The fact is that it has a very elastic stomach, and there are no ribs in the stomach that would prevent the expansion of the fish. Therefore, he can easily swallow a fish four times longer than his height and 10 times heavier!

So, for example, not far from the Cayman Islands, the corpse of a sack-swallower was found, in the stomach of which were the remains of a mackerel 86 cm long. The length of the sack-swallower itself was only 19 cm. he managed to swallow a fish 4 times longer than himself. And it was mackerel, known as mackerel fish, which is very aggressive. It is not completely clear how such a small fish coped with a stronger opponent.

Outside of Russia, the bag swallower is called " black eater". The body of the fish is a uniform dark brown, almost black color. Medium sized head. The jaws are very large. The lower jaw does not have a bone connection with the head, so the open mouth of the bag-swallower is able to accommodate prey, much larger than the head of a predator. On each jaw, the front three teeth form sharp fangs. With them, the black devourer holds the victim when he pushes it into the stomach.

Swallowed prey can be so large that it is not immediately digested. As a result, decomposition inside the stomach releases a large amount of gas, which drags the bagworm to the surface. In fact, the most famous specimens of the black eater were found precisely on the surface of the water with swollen bellies that prevented the fish from escaping to the depths.

It lives at a depth of 700 - 3000 m. It is not possible to observe the animal in its natural habitat, therefore very little is known about its life. They are known to be egg-laying fish. Most often it is possible to find clutches of eggs in the winter in South Africa. Juveniles from April to August are often found near Bermuda, have lighter shades that disappear as the fish mature. Also, larvae and young sack-swallowers have small spines that are absent in adult fish.

Opisthoproct lives at great depths up to 2,500 m in all oceans, with the exception of the Arctic Ocean. Their appearance is peculiar and does not allow them to be confused with other deep-sea fish. Most often, scientists pay attention to the unusual large head of the fish. It has large eyes that are constantly turned upward, from where sunlight comes. It is worth noting that quite recently, at the end of 2008, an opisthoproct was caught near New Zealand, which had as many as 4 eyes. However, it is known for sure that vertebrates with 4 eyes do not exist in nature. Further study of the find made it possible to determine that in fact there are only two eyes, but each of them consists of two parts, one of which is constantly directed upwards, and the second looks down. The lower eye of the fish is able to change the viewing angle and allows the animal to inspect environment from all sides.

The body of the opisthoproct is quite massive, in shape it resembles a brick covered with large scales. Near the anal fin, the fish has a bioluminescent organ that acts as a beacon. The belly of the fish, covered with light scales, reflects the light emitted by the photofrost. This reflected light is clearly visible to other opisthoprocts, whose eyes are directed upwards, but at the same time it is invisible to other deep-sea inhabitants, which have "classical" eyes located on the sides of the head.

It is believed that opisthoprocts are solitary and do not gather in large flocks. All the time they spend at depth, on the border of light penetration. For food, they do not make vertical migrations, but look out for prey at the top against the background of a dissecting sunlight. The diet consists of small crustaceans and larvae, which are part of the zooplankton.

Very little is known about the reproduction of fish. It is believed that they spawn right in the water column - throwing massive amounts of eggs and sperm directly into the water. Fertilized eggs drift at a shallower depth and, as they mature and become heavier, sink to a kilometer depth.

As a rule, all opisthoprocts are small in size, about 20 cm, but there are species that reach half a meter in length.

- deep-sea fish that lives in tropical and temperate zones at a depth of 200 to 5,000 m. It grows up to 15 cm in length, reaching 120 g of body weight.

The head of the sabertooth is large, with massive jaws. The eyes are small compared to the size of the head. The body is dark brown or almost black, strongly compressed on the sides, and in compensation for the small eyes there is a well-developed lateral line running high on the back of the fish. Two long fangs grow in the mouth of the fish on the lower jaw. In relation to body length, these teeth are the longest among known to science fish. These teeth are so large that when the mouth is closed, they are placed in special grooves in the upper jaw. To do this, even the brain of the fish is divided into two parts to make room for fangs in the skull.

Sharp teeth, bent inside the mouth, nip in the bud a possible escape of the victim. Adult saber teeth are predators. They prey on small fish and squid. Young individuals also filter out zooplankton from the water. In a short period of time, a sabertooth can swallow as much food as it weighs. Despite the fact that not much is known about these fish, it can still be concluded that saber-toothed enough ferocious predators. They keep in small flocks or singly, making vertical migrations at night for hunting. Having “worked up” enough, the fish descend to great depths during the day, resting before the next hunt.

By the way, it is possible that frequent migration to the upper layers of the water explains the good tolerance of saber-toothed low pressure. Fish caught near the surface of the water can live up to one month in an aquarium in running water.

However, despite their formidable weapon in the form of huge fangs, sabertooths often fall prey to larger oceanic fish that descend to the depths to feed. For example, the remains of saber-tooths are constantly found in the caught tuna. In this they are similar to hatchet fish, which also make up a significant share in the diet of tuna. Moreover, the number of finds indicates that the population of saber teeth is quite significant.

Juvenile saber-tooths are completely different from adult fish, which is why they were first assigned even to another genus. They are triangular in shape, and there are 4 spikes on the head, which is why they are called "horned". The juveniles also do not have fangs, and the color is not dark, but light brown, and only on the belly there is a large triangular spot, which will “stretch” over the whole body over time.

Saber teeth grow quite slowly. Scientists suggest that fish can reach 10 years of age.

Hatchet fish

- deep-sea fish found in temperate and tropical waters of the world's oceans. They got their name for the characteristic appearance of the body, reminiscent of the shape of an ax - a narrow tail and a wide "body-axe".

Most often hatchets can be found at depths of 200-600 m. However, it is known that they are also found at depths of 2 km. Their body is covered with light silvery scales that easily bounce off. The body is strongly compressed laterally. Some species of hatchet have a pronounced expansion of the body in the region of the anal fin. They grow up to large sizes- some species reach a body length of only 5 cm.

Like other deep-sea fish, puffins have photophores that emit light. But unlike other fish, hatchets use their ability to bioluminesce not to attract prey, but, on the contrary, to camouflage. Photophores are located only on the belly of the fish, and their glow makes the hatchets invisible from below, as if dissolving the silhouette of the fish against the background of the sun's rays penetrating to the depth. The hatchets regulate the intensity of the glow depending on the brightness of the upper layers of water, controlling it with their eyes.

Some types of hatchets gather in huge flocks, forming a wide dense "carpet". Sometimes it becomes difficult for watercraft to break through this layer with their echo sounders, for example for exact definition depths. Such a “double” ocean bottom has been observed by scientists and navigators since the middle of the 20th century. A large accumulation of hatchetfish attracts some large oceanic fish to such places, among which there are also commercially valuable species, such as tuna. Hatchets also make up a significant part in the diet of other larger deep-sea inhabitants, such as deep-sea anglerfish.

Hatches feed on small crustaceans. They reproduce by spawning or laying larvae, which mix with plankton and sink to the depths as they mature.

ora chimeras

- deep-sea fish, the oldest inhabitants among modern cartilaginous fish. Distant relatives of modern sharks.

Chimeras are sometimes referred to as "a koolami-ghosts". These fish live at very great depths, sometimes exceeding 2.5 km. About 400 million ago, the common ancestors of modern sharks and chimeras split into two "orders". Some preferred habitat near the surface. The other, on the contrary, chose great depths and evolved over time to modern chimeras. Currently, 50 species of these fish are known to science. Most of them do not rise to depths above 200 m, and only rabbit fish and rat fish were seen not deep under water. These small fish are the only representatives of home aquariums, which are sometimes called simply " catfish ».

Chimeras grow up to 1.5 m, however, in adults, half of the body is the tail, which is a long, thin and narrow part of the body. The dorsal fin is very long and can reach to the very tip of the tail. The memorable appearance of chimeras is given by huge, in relation to the body, pectoral fins, giving them the appearance of a clumsy strange bird.

The habitat of chimeras makes their study very difficult. Very little is known about their habits, reproduction, and hunting methods. The collected knowledge suggests that chimeras hunt in much the same way as other deep-sea fish. In complete darkness, for a successful hunt, it is not speed that is important, but the ability to find prey literally by touch. Most deep sears use photophores to draw prey directly to their huge mouths. Chimeras, on the other hand, use a characteristic open, very sensitive lateral line to search for prey, which is one of distinguishing features these fish.

The skin color of chimeras is varied, it can range from light gray to almost black, sometimes with large contrasting spots. For protection from enemies, color at great depths does not play a fundamental role, therefore, for defense against predators, they have poisonous spikes located in front of the dorsal fin. I must say that at depths of over 600m. there are not so many enemies for such a rather large fish, except perhaps for especially voracious ones large females indians. A great danger for young chimeras is their relatives, cannibalism for chimeras is not a rare phenomenon. Although most of the diet is molluscs and echinoderms. Cases of eating other deep-sea fish have been recorded. Chimeras have very strong jaws. They have 3 pairs of hard teeth that can be used with great force to grind hard shells of molluscs.

according to inokean.ru

The ocean depths are one of the most mysterious and little-studied places in the world. There are many strange and unusual creatures, most of which don't look like anyone else. Many researchers of the depths agree with the statement that the most scary creatures worldwide.

Pike blenny (lat. Neoclinus blanchardi)

The name of this fish is not the most intimidating, as well as the appearance. But one has only to provoke her, as she immediately opens her mouth and turns into a terrible monster, ready to swallow prey many times larger than herself. N. blanchardi, of course, is not able to swallow a large enemy, opening its mouth wide and showing its toothy mouth, the fish only seeks to protect its territory. It turns out that she is quite effective, sometimes in this way she manages to drive away even very large aggressors.

The blennies live mainly off the Pacific coast of North America.

Latimeria (lat. Latimeria)

A real living fossil, the only species in the order of prehistoric coelacanth-like fish that has survived to this day. Coelacanths appeared on Earth approximately 400 million years ago and have not changed much since then. The modern population living in Indian Ocean off the southern coast of Africa, is estimated at only 300-400 individuals.

Toad fish (lat. Opsanus tau)

Predatory fish from the batrakhov family. Lives in the western part of the Atlantic Ocean. Leads a sedentary lifestyle. Most of the time he spends hiding in the silt or sand at the bottom of the ocean - this is how the toad fish hunts, waiting for the prey to swim up to it; and sleeps, safely hidden from enemies.

The body is covered with poisonous spikes, which pose a considerable danger to humans.

Emits very loud sounds, reaching over 100 dB in close proximity. Thus fish-toads warn: this territory is mine!

Catfish striped (lat. Anarhichas lupus)

A fish found primarily in the cold deep waters of the Atlantic. Due to its aggressive disposition, it was nicknamed the "Atlantic wolf".

The teeth of A. Lupus wear out very quickly, probably due to the heavy load, but new ones quickly grow in place of the worn ones.

Bumpy carpet shark (lat. Sutorectus tentaculatus)

One of the smallest sharks, the average body length is 72 cm, the maximum is 92 cm.

Lives off the southeast coast of Australia. They are found on rocky reefs and kelp-covered areas where prey can be ambushed. They move slowly dragging along the bottom, practically merging with it, which is greatly facilitated by the flattened shape of the body and masking coloration.

European anglerfish (lat. Lophius piscatorius)

Quite a large fish with a body length of up to 2 meters. Popularly, the species is better known as " angler".

The body is not covered with lusk, the skin is dense with numerous outgrowths, tubercles and hairs that imitate algae and mask fish.

Hunts with a special bioluminescent bait, hiding at the bottom. The huge mouth and throat allow the European anglerfish to swallow very large prey whole.

The character of the monkfish is bad, attacks on larger fish and even divers are not uncommon.

European stargazer (lat. Uranoscopus scaber)

Predatory fish from the perch order. Body size 20-35 cm. Lives in warm regions oceans and the Mediterranean.

The astrologer got its name because of the location of the eyes, which are constantly directed to the sky.

It is dangerous due to the poisonous spikes located above the pectoral fins.

Common Hauliod (Chauliodus sloani)

A real monster from the abyss. It is found in the temperate and tropical zones of the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans at a depth of 500 to 4000 meters.

Because of the narrow, elongated body and huge teeth, they got the nickname "viper fish". The body length is small: up to 35 cm, while the teeth reach 5 cm in length, which is why the mouth never closes.

The mouth is capable of opening 110 degrees, thanks to which the howliod is able to swallow prey, which is up to 63% of the size of the predator itself.

West Atlantic bat (lat. Ogcocephalus parvus)

A very strange and still little-studied fish from the anglerfish order. It lives at the bottom of warm subtropical and tropical seas.

The fins of the bat perform rather the function of legs, with their help the fish slowly moves along the bottom.

The depths of the sea are now the most inaccessible and mysterious part of our planet. It is there that researchers and tourists have not yet been able to penetrate, it is there that marine animals can feel safe from curious people. At the same time, the depths of the ocean hide their inhabitants quite reliably, although we managed to get acquainted with some of the most terrible.

1. European anglerfish (Lophius piscatorius)


If you ask someone to describe the angler, the easiest way to do this is by calling it "mouth with a tail." It seems that his mouth smoothly passes into the tail, and the body is basically absent. At the same time, all fish are covered with various outgrowths and outgrowths, which help it to disguise itself among the sand and thickets of aquatic vegetation. They are distributed in Atlantic Ocean from black to North Sea at depths of 18-550 m.
The dimensions of the angler are impressive - up to two meters long and more than 20 kg in weight. But his way of getting food is amazing. The first rays of the dorsal fin of the anglerfish in the process of evolution have changed, turning into a kind of bait, fluorescing in the dusk of the depths. Now he lies quietly in ambush, waving the bait in front of his nose. A naive fish swims up and then the terrible jaws instantly open, drawing water with all living creatures into the bottomless stomach of the anglerfish. Caviar from anglers is spawned in real layers almost a meter wide and up to nine meters long. The eggs are light and rise to the surface, where the fry gradually eat off and sink, reaching the bottom and the desired dimensions by 5-6 years.
Interestingly, in France, the monkfish is a popular dish, but for the Jews, due to the lack of scales, it is not kosher.

2. Viperfish (Chauliodus sloani)


Hauloids, there are 6 species that live in warm tropical waters. The fish are small, only up to 35 cm, but their appearance can bring even the most persistent (and including) to hysteria. There are viper fish at depths of up to four kilometers, although more often from 500 to 1000 meters. At night, they rise almost to the very surface, and during the day they sink deep to the bottom. The body of the fish is covered with large scales and luminous areas that are used for communication. In addition, one of the rays of the dorsal fin, like that of the anglerfish, is turned into a bait.
But main feature fish is its disproportionately large head in relation to the body, equipped with long sharp teeth. It is able to lean far back, and the jaw, like that of snakes, to move forward and down. As a result, marine life, three times larger, becomes its victims. Howloids also have a specific structure of the esophagus, the whole body is focused on holding any prey that comes across! Indeed, in the habitats of the viper fish, hunting is not very abundant, and the hauloid can live 12 days on one victim.

3. Alepisaurus (alepisaurus)


The species was first described in 1741 by Steller during the Kamchatka expedition. And then the researchers got the carcass of fish thrown ashore. Later, with the expansion of fishing, fish began to come across more often, more material appeared for research. It was possible to establish that the size of the fish reaches 2 meters and 8 kilograms, they have huge teeth and a high dorsal fin. All fish seem to be swift strong, thanks to flattened slim body and narrow elongated head. Like many deep-sea predators, the alepisaurus makes large vertical movements behind its prey.

4. Longhorn sabertooth (Anoplogaster cornuta)


For almost 50 years, scientists believed they took the juveniles of these fish as a separate species. Young and adult saber-tooths are radically different from each other - in color, body shape, and an arsenal of teeth. In light, triangular fish with a spiky head, black, large-headed, toothy predators with the longest teeth in relation to the body among fish turn out with age. And these fish are considered the deepest, meeting at a depth of five kilometers and at the same time easily enduring normal pressure, surviving in ordinary aquariums. Yes, and the terrible predators are only 15 cm long.

5. Dragonfish (Grammatostomias flagellibarba)


Another tropical deep sea predator. To cope with the problem of obtaining food at kilometer depths, he is helped by a luminous bait process, large sharp teeth and the ability to literally put on the victim. In this case, the size of the fish does not exceed 15 centimeters.

6. Big Mouth (Eurypharynx pelecanoides)


At a kilometer depth you can meet, perhaps, the most strange fish- big mouths. Their skull bones were almost completely reduced, and the entire skeleton underwent significant changes. The lower jaw took on the appearance of a large bag resembling a pelican, and the body itself most of all resembles a long whip up to 2 meters long. Like other marine inhabitants of these depths, largemouths are aggressive and are able to swallow quite big booty.

7. Atlantic Giant Squid / Architeuthis dux

In 1887, the largest specimen of a giant squid was caught off the coast of New Zealand - 17.5 meters long, of which only 5 meters fell on the tentacles. Sometimes these squids are called champions among mollusks in terms of size, but their other relatives, colossal squids, are in the lead here. Many legends are associated with both species, they are credited with violent battles with sperm whales, dragging ships and submarines under water, these squids are called krakens.

8. Giant isopod crayfish (Bathynomus giganteus)


This creature was discovered by accident by oil workers in the Gulf of Mexico at a depth of 2.6 km. It simply stuck to one of the geological sensors, and then was taken out to the surface. Giant sea "woodlice" reach 0.45 m in length and 2 kg of weight. The first of its 7 pairs of legs evolved into the maxilla, and a strong chitinous cover provides reliable protection to the body. The appearance of the isopod cancer is truly prehistoric.

9. Frogfish (Brachionichthyidae melanostomus)


This kind sea ​​anglers differs in that it has practically lost the ability to swim, but deftly moves along the bottom with the help of modified pectoral fins. It has a small body up to 12 cm, covered with poisonous processes and spikes, capable of swelling and absorbing very large prey. Which, like all fish of this family, is lured to a luminous "fishing rod".

10. Infernal Vampire (Vampyroteuthis infernalis)


This cephalopod has features of both squid and octopus. This is one of the most amazing animals. The infernal vampire holds several records at once. Its eyes at 2.5 cm are, relative to the body (30 cm), the largest in the animal kingdom. He lives at the greatest depth (400-1000 m) among all cephalopods, where there is no light and a disappearing low concentration of oxygen.
Due to the content of copper in the blood, it is possible to supply the body with those crumbs of oxygen that are in the water. Due to the high content of ammonia in the tissues, an ideal body density is achieved, comparable to the density sea ​​water, which provides excellent buoyancy and does not require additional energy. The mollusk is completely covered with photoreceptors and uses light for complex communication, to disorientate the victim and the attacker. Unlike its shallower counterparts, the infernal vampire does not use ink for protection, it releases a slimy suspension with luminous balls in the face of the attackers, and hides nearby in the dark.

11. Long-nosed chimera (Harriotta raleighana)

All chimeras have quite remarkable noses to some extent, but long-nosed chimera- it has a particularly intricate shape. This benthic deep-sea predator lives at depths of 200-2600 m and, thanks to the aerodynamic shape of the nose and body, is able to reach tremendous speeds. In addition, they have a large venomous spine, which is usually folded into a notch on the back, and in case of danger rises up.

12. Frilled Shark (Chlamydoselachus anguineus)


A rare relic shark reaches 2 meters in length and lives in the bottom areas at depths of 400-1200 meters. The shark got its name for the skin folds that cover the gill slits. The body of the fish is elongated, serpentine, like other sharks, a huge number of bent teeth and a brutal appetite. Another feature is ovoviviparity, and "pregnancy" can last up to 2 years.

And one more marine inhabitant, a real live-eater: