Predators of the deep sea. The most incredible inhabitants of the deep sea
In the depths of the sea and ocean there are a huge number of all kinds of creatures that amaze with their sophisticated defense mechanisms, ability to adapt, and, of course, their appearance. This is a whole universe that has not yet been fully explored. In this rating, we have collected the most unusual representatives of the depths, from beautifully colored fish to creepy monsters.
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Our rating of the most unusual inhabitants of the depths opens with the dangerous and at the same time amazing lion fish, also known as the striped lionfish or zebra fish. This cute creature, about 30 centimeters long, spends most of its time among the corals in a motionless state, and only from time to time swims from one place to another. Thanks to its beautiful and unusual coloring, as well as long fan-shaped pectoral and dorsal fins, this fish attracts the attention of both people and marine life.
However, behind the beauty of the color and shape of its fins are hidden sharp and poisonous needles, with which it protects itself from enemies. The lion fish itself does not attack first, but if a person accidentally touches it or steps on it, then one injection from such a needle will sharply worsen his health. If there are several injections, then the person will need outside help to swim to the shore, as the pain can become unbearable and lead to loss of consciousness.
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This is a small marine bony fish of the pipefish family of the order Pipefish. Seahorses lead a sedentary lifestyle; they attach their flexible tails to stems, and thanks to numerous spines, outgrowths on the body and iridescent colors, they completely blend into the background. This is how they protect themselves from predators and camouflage themselves while hunting for food. Skates feed on small crustaceans and shrimp. The tubular stigma acts like a pipette - the prey is drawn into the mouth along with water.
The body of seahorses in water is located unconventionally for fish - vertically or diagonally. The reason for this is the relatively large swim bladder, most of which is located in the upper part of the seahorse's body. The difference between seahorses and other species is that their offspring are carried by the male. On its abdomen it has a special brood chamber in the form of a sac, which plays the role of a uterus. Seahorses are very fertile animals, and the number of embryos borne in a male’s pouch ranges from 2 to several thousand. Childbirth for a male is often painful and can result in death.
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This representative of the depths is a relative of the previous participant in the rating - the seahorse. The leafy sea dragon, rag-eater or sea pegasus is an unusual fish, so named for its fantastic appearance - translucent delicate greenish fins cover its body and constantly sway with the movement of the water. Although these processes look like fins, they do not take part in swimming, but serve only for camouflage. The length of this creature reaches 35 centimeters, and it lives in only one place - off the southern coast of Australia. The rag picker swims slowly, its maximum speed is up to 150 m/h. Just like seahorses, the offspring are carried by males in a special pouch formed during spawning along the lower surface of the tail. The female lays eggs in this pouch and all care of the offspring falls on the father.
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The frilled shark is a species of shark that looks much more like a strange sea snake or eel. Since the Jurassic period, the frilled predator has not changed at all over millions of years of existence. It got its name from the presence of a brown formation on its body, which resembles a cape. It is also called the corrugated shark due to the numerous folds of skin on its body. Such peculiar folds on its skin, according to scientists, are a reserve of body volume to accommodate large prey in the stomach.
After all, the frilled shark swallows its prey mainly whole, since the needle-like tips of its teeth curved inside the mouth are not capable of crushing and grinding food. The frilled shark lives in the bottom layer of water in all oceans except the Arctic Ocean, at a depth of 400-1200 meters; it is a typical deep-sea predator. The frilled shark can reach 2 meters in length, but the usual sizes are smaller - 1.5 meters for females and 1.3 meters for males. This species lays eggs: the female gives birth to 3-12 young. Gestation of embryos can last up to two years.
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This type of crustacean from the infraorder of crabs is one of the largest representatives of arthropods: large individuals reach 20 kilograms, 45 centimeters in carapace length and 4 m in the span of the first pair of legs. It lives mainly in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Japan at a depth of 50 to 300 meters. It feeds on shellfish and leftovers and is believed to live up to 100 years. The survival rate among the larvae is very small, so females spawn more than 1.5 million of them. During the process of evolution, the front two legs turned into large claws that can reach a length of 40 centimeters. Despite such a formidable weapon, the Japanese spider crab is non-aggressive and has a calm character. It is even used in aquariums as an ornamental animal.
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These large deep-sea crayfish can grow more than 50 cm in length. The largest recorded specimen weighed 1.7 kilograms and was 76 centimeters long. Their body is covered with hard plates that are softly connected to each other. This armor design provides good mobility, so giant isopods can curl up into a ball when they sense danger. Rigid plates reliably protect the crayfish’s body from deep-sea predators. Quite often they are found in Blackpool, England, and they are not uncommon in other places on the planet. These animals live at depths from 170 to 2,500 m. Most of the entire population prefers to be kept at a depth of 360-750 meters.
They prefer to live on the clay bottom alone. Isopods are carnivorous and can hunt for slow prey on the bottom - sea cucumbers, sponges, and possibly small fish. They also do not disdain carrion, which sinks to the seabed from the surface. Since there is not always enough food at such great depths, and finding it in pitch darkness is not an easy task, isopods have adapted to do without food for a long time. It is known for sure that cancer is capable of fasting for 8 weeks in a row.
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The purple tremoctopus or blanket octopus is a very unusual octopus. Although, octopuses are generally strange creatures - they have three hearts, poisonous saliva, the ability to change the color and texture of their skin, and their tentacles are able to perform certain actions without instructions from the brain. However, the purple tremoctopus is the strangest of them all. For starters, we can say that the female is 40,000 times heavier than the male! The male is only 2.4 centimeters long and lives almost like plankton, while the female reaches 2 m in length. When the female is frightened, she can expand the cape-like membrane located between the tentacles, which visually increases her size and makes her look even more dangerous. It is also interesting that the blanket octopus is immune to the venom of the Portuguese Man of War jellyfish; Moreover, the intelligent octopus sometimes tears off the jellyfish's tentacles and uses them as weapons.
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The blobfish is a deep-sea bottom-dwelling marine fish of the psycholute family, which, due to its unattractive appearance, is often called one of the most terrible fish on the planet. These fish supposedly live at depths of 600-1200 m off the coast of Australia and Tasmania, where fishermen have recently begun to increasingly bring them to the surface, which is why this species of fish is endangered. The blobfish consists of a gelatinous mass with a density slightly less than the density of water itself. This allows the blobfish to swim at such depths without expending large quantities.
Lack of muscles is not a problem for this fish. She swallows almost everything edible that floats in front of her, lazily opening her mouth. It feeds mainly on mollusks and crustaceans. Even though the blobfish is not edible, it is endangered. Fishermen, in turn, sell this fish as a souvenir. Blobfish populations are recovering slowly. It takes 4.5 to 14 years for the blobfish population to double.
7 Sea urchin
Sea urchins are very ancient animals of the echinoderm class that inhabited the Earth already 500 million years ago. Currently, about 940 modern species of sea urchins are known. The body size of a sea urchin varies from 2 to 30 centimeters and is covered with rows of calcareous plates that form a dense shell. Based on body shape, sea urchins are divided into regular and irregular. Regular hedgehogs have an almost round body shape. Irregular hedgehogs have a flattened body shape, and the anterior and posterior ends of the body are distinguishable. Spines of various lengths are movably connected to the shell of sea urchins. The length ranges from 2 millimeters to 30 centimeters. Spines often serve sea urchins for movement, nutrition and protection.
Some species that are distributed mainly in tropical and subtropical regions of the Indian, Pacific and Atlantic oceans have poisonous needles. Sea urchins are bottom crawling or burrowing animals that typically live at depths of about 7 meters and are widespread on coral reefs. Sometimes some individuals can crawl onto. Correct sea urchins prefer rocky surfaces; incorrect - soft and sandy soil. Hedgehogs reach sexual maturity in the third year of life, and live about 10-15 years, up to a maximum of 35.
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Largemouth lives in the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans at depths from 500 to 3000 meters. The body of the largemouth is long and narrow, in appearance it resembles an eel 60 cm, sometimes up to 1 meter. Due to the giant stretching mouth, reminiscent of the beak bag of a pelican, it has a second name - pelican fish. The length of the mouth is almost 1/3 of the total length of the body, the rest is a thin body, turning into a tail filament, at the end of which there is a luminous organ. The largemouth does not have scales, a swim bladder, ribs, an anal fin or a full-fledged bone skeleton.
Their skeleton consists of several deformed bones and light cartilage. Therefore, these fish are quite light. They have a tiny skull and small eyes. Due to poorly developed fins, these fish cannot swim quickly. Due to the size of its mouth, this fish is capable of swallowing prey that is larger than itself. The swallowed victim ends up in the stomach, which can stretch to enormous sizes. The pelican fish feeds on other deep-sea fish and crustaceans that can be found at such depths.
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The sac-eater or black eater is a deep-sea representative of perciformes from the suborder chiasmodidae, living at a depth of 700 to 3000 meters. This fish grows up to 30 centimeters in length and is found throughout tropical and subtropical waters. This fish got its name from its ability to swallow prey several times its size. This is possible due to the very elastic stomach and the absence of ribs. A bagworm can easily swallow fish 4 times longer and 10 times heavier than its body.
This fish has very large jaws, and on each of them the front three teeth form sharp fangs, with which it holds the victim when it pushes it into its stomach. As the prey decomposes, a lot of gas is released inside the bagworm's stomach, which brings the fish to the surface, where some black gobblers have been found with swollen bellies. It is not possible to observe the animal in its natural habitat, so very little is known about its life.
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This lizard-headed creature belongs to the deep-sea lizard-heads that live in the tropical and subtropical seas of the world, at depths from 600 to 3500 meters. Its length reaches 50-65 centimeters. Outwardly, it is very reminiscent of long-extinct dinosaurs in a reduced form. It is considered the deepest sea predator, devouring everything that comes in its way. Bathysaurus even has teeth on its tongue. At such a depth, it is quite difficult for this predator to find a mate, but this is not a problem for it, since the bathysaurus is a hermaphrodite, that is, it has both male and female sexual characteristics.
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The smallmouth macropinna, or barrel eye, is a species of deep-sea fish, the only representative of the genus macropinna, which belongs to the order Smeltfish. These amazing fish have a transparent head through which they can watch their prey with their tubular eyes. It was discovered in 1939, and lives at a depth of 500 to 800 meters, and therefore has not been well studied. Fish in their normal habitat are usually motionless, or move slowly in a horizontal position.
Previously, the principle of operation of the eyes was not clear, since the fish’s olfactory organs are located above the mouth, and the eyes are located inside the transparent head and can only look up. The green color of the eyes of this fish is caused by the presence of a specific yellow pigment in them. It is believed that this pigment provides special filtering of light coming from above and reduces its brightness, allowing the fish to discern the bioluminescence of potential prey.
In 2009, scientists found that thanks to the special structure of the eye muscles, these fish are able to move their cylindrical eyes from the vertical position in which they are usually located, to the horizontal position when they are directed forward. In this case, the mouth is in the field of view, which provides an opportunity to capture prey. Zooplankton of various sizes, including small cnidarians and crustaceans, as well as siphonophore tentacles along with cnidocytes were found in the macropinna vein. Taking this into account, we can come to the conclusion that the continuous transparent membrane above the eyes of this species evolved evolutionarily as a way of protecting cnidarians from cnidocytes.
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The first place in our ranking of the most unusual inhabitants of the depths was taken by a deep-sea monster called an anglerfish or devil fish. These scary and unusual fish live at great depths, from 1500 to 3000 meters. They are characterized by a spherical, laterally flattened body shape and the presence of a “fishing rod” in females. The skin is black or dark brown, naked; in several species it is covered with transformed scales - spines and plaques; ventral fins are absent. There are 11 known families, including almost 120 species.
The anglerfish is a predatory sea fish. A special growth on its back helps it hunt other inhabitants of the underwater world - one feather from the dorsal fin separated from the others during evolution, and a transparent sac formed at its end. In this sac, which is actually a gland with liquid, surprisingly, there are bacteria. They may or may not glow, obeying their master in this matter. The anglerfish regulates the luminosity of bacteria by dilating or constricting blood vessels. Some members of the anglerfish family adapt even more sophisticatedly, acquiring a folding fishing rod or growing one right in their mouth, while others have glowing teeth.
Incredible facts
Oceans cover about 70 percent of the earth's surface and provide about half of the air we breathe through 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 a group of deep-sea fish that have evolved a unique anatomical structure to suit their lifestyle. These fish are extremely fragile, and specimens of the fish that have been collected by fishermen and researchers are deformed due to pressure changes.
The most unique characteristic of this fish is its soft, transparent head and barrel-shaped eyes. Typically fixed in an upward direction with green "lens covers" to filter sunlight, the eyes of the Smallmouth Macropinna can rotate and extend.
In fact, what appear to be eyes are sensory organs. The real eyes are located under the forehead.
2. Bathisaurus
Bathysaurus ferox sounds like a dinosaur, which is actually not far from the truth. Bathysaurus ferox belongs to the deep-sea lizardheads 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 slam shut, it's game over. Even her tongue is lined with razor-sharp fangs.
It is hardly possible to look at her face without shuddering, and it is even more difficult for her to find a mate. But this does not bother this formidable underwater inhabitant too much, since it has both male and female genital organs.
3. Viper fish
The viper fish is one of the most unusual deep-sea fish. Being known as common hauliod(Chauliodus sloani), it is one of the ocean's most ruthless predators. This fish is easily recognized by its large mouth and sharp fang-like teeth. In fact, these fangs are so large that they do not fit in her mouth, curling closer to her eyes.
The viper fish uses its sharp teeth to pierce its prey by swimming towards it at very high speed. Most of these creatures have a stretchable 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 monkfish
Deep sea monkfish ( Deep Sea Anglerfish) looks like a creature from a science fiction world. It may be one of the ugliest animals on our planet and lives in the most inhospitable environment - the lonely, dark seabed.
There are more than 200 species of monkfish, most of which live in the murky depths of the Atlantic and Antarctic oceans.
The monkfish lures its prey with its elongated dorsal spine, curving it around the bait, 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 relief from the terrifying toothy fish that are associated with the deep sea. This species of squid lives about 100 m below the ocean surface. Due to its habitat in the deep ocean, its behavior has not been well studied. These inhabitants are not the fastest swimmers.
Their body is almost completely transparent, with the exception of some cells containing pigments called chromatophores, which give these inhabitants 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 spider crab's leg span 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, as do the largest and oldest lobsters.
These subtle inhabitants of the seabed are ocean cleaners, dealing with dead deep-sea inhabitants.
The Japanese crab's eyes are located at the front with two horns between the eyes that shorten with age. As a rule, they live at depths of 150 to 800 m, but most often at a depth of 200 m.
Japanese spider crabs are considered a real delicacy, but recently the catch of these crabs has been declining due 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. Considering the depth of the water in which it swims, the blob fish does not have a swim bladder, like most fish, as it is not very effective under high water pressure. Her skin is made of a gelatinous mass that is slightly denser than water, which allows her to float above the ocean floor without any hassle. The fish grows up to 30 cm in length, feeding mainly on sea urchins and shellfish that swim by.
Even though this fish is inedible, it is often caught along with other prey such as lobsters and crabs, putting it at risk of extinction. A distinctive external characteristic of the drop fish is its unhappy facial expression.
8. Tongue-Eating Woodlice
Surprisingly, the snapper himself does not suffer much from this process, continuing to live and eat after the woodlice has found a permanent place of residence with him.
9. Frilled Shark
People have rarely encountered frilled sharks, which prefer to stay in the ocean depths of about 1,500 m below the ocean surface. Considered living fossils Frilled sharks actually share many of the characteristics of ancestors that swam the seas back to the time of the dinosaurs.
Frilled sharks are thought to capture their prey by bending their body and lunging forward like a snake. Its long, flexible jaw allows it to devour 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 Sea, becoming a real punishment for marine life.
These fish eat other species, and they seem to eat constantly. They themselves have long poisonous 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.
The venom their spines release makes their bites even more painful and can be fatal for those who suffer from heart disease or allergies.
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 were opened quite recently.
Marine "flycatcher"
These shell-like predators live in deep-sea canyons near California. In terms of their hunting method, they are somewhat similar to carnivorous plants; they attach themselves to the bottom and calmly wait until the unsuspecting prey swims into the gaping mouth. This way of eating prevents them from being too picky about food.
Shark pedestrian
Off the coast of Halmahera Island (Indonesia), a new species of shark was discovered that “walked” along the bottom in search of prey, exactly like a lizard. This unusual fish, a relative of the bamboo shark, grows up to 70 cm in length. She hunts mainly at night, and her dinner is small fish and invertebrates. And, by the way, this is far from the only fish that “walks” along the seabed. Representatives of the bat and lungfish families can walk on fins.
Christmas tree
Marine fauna lovers and divers call this the colorful inhabitants of the Pacific and Indian Oceans. In fact, it is a tubular polychaete marine worm, its Latin name is Spirobranchus giganteus.
Neither fish nor...
This is a mollusk and does not fit into the idea of what a gastropod should actually look like. Tethys fimbria are quite large, about 30 cm long, their almost shapeless translucent body is decorated with bright, irregularly shaped processes. Tethys are common in the waters of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, where they slowly glide along the seabed.
Pugaporcinus
If there was a competition for the title of “weirdest worm,” Pugaporcinus would easily beat out all the other participants. These unusual inhabitants of the ocean depths are better known in narrow circles as “flying buttocks.” Their existence became known only recently, in 2007. The creature is no larger than a hazelnut.
Tripod fish
A striking distinctive feature of this fish is its long, thin pectoral fins, with which it rests on the seabed and stands in anticipation of prey. It is not surprising that the name of this fish is Brachypterois grallator or simply tripod fish. Scientists still know little about them, since the creatures live at depths from 1000 to 4500 meters. The length of the fish is about 30-35 cm.
Thaumatikht Axel
These representatives of the order of anglerfish were discovered not so long ago, and were 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 not many people like to live at a depth of 3500 meters (just remember the Internet star - the blob fish). They reach a length of 50 cm, or rather, scientists were able to meet fish of this size. In the creature's mouth there is a special gland with glowing bacteria. To start hunting, the fish simply needs to open its mouth and potential victims will swim towards the light source.
Moonfish
Bat
A fish from the ray-finned family of the same ugly anglerfish. Widely distributed in warm tropical and subtropical seas, except the Mediterranean. Lives at depths of up to 100 meters.
Sea spiders
These harmless creatures live in almost all waters with normal salinity. Like ordinary spiders, their body is relatively small, from 1 to 7 cm, but their leg span can be up to 50 cm. There are about 1000 species of sea spiders.
Mantis crab
This colorful creature has unique vision and moves with 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 crab. Why becomes clear at first glance. The segments of the jaws of these crayfish are bent at an angle, like those of mantises. Just like insects, crayfish are able to instantly throw a limb forward, much faster than a person blinks.
Giant underwater pipe
Pyrosomes or fireworms are tiny sea creatures somewhat similar to jellyfish, they are only a few millimeters long, but when united in a giant colony, they create huge translucent tubes up to several meters long. It’s also worth remembering that they are capable of bioluminescence. Imagine a huge underwater tube glowing in the night - a breathtaking sight.
Ocean abysses are one of the most mysterious and little-studied places in the world. There are many strange and unusual creatures living there, most of which are unlike anyone else. Many explorers of the depths agree with the statement that the most terrible creatures in the whole world live in the depths.
Pike blenny (lat. Neoclinus blanchardi)
The name of this fish is not the most intimidating, nor is its appearance. But as soon as you provoke her, she will immediately open her mouth and turn into a terrible monster, ready to swallow prey many times larger than herself. N. blanchardi, naturally, is not able to swallow a large enemy, opening its mouth wide and showing its toothed mouth, the fish only strives to protect its territory. It turns out that she does this quite effectively, sometimes in this way she manages to drive away even very large aggressors.
Blennies live mainly off the Pacific coast of North America.
Coelacanth (lat. Latimeria)
A true living fossil, the only species in the order of prehistoric coelacanth fishes that has survived to this day. Coelacanths appeared on Earth approximately 400 million years ago and have remained virtually unchanged since then. The current population, living in the Indian Ocean off the southern coast of Africa, is estimated at only 300-400 individuals.
Toadfish (lat. Opsanus tau)
Predatory fish from the batrach family. Lives in the western part of the Atlantic Ocean. Leads a sedentary lifestyle. He spends most of his time 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 spines, which pose a considerable danger to humans.
Produces very loud sounds, reaching over 100 dB in the immediate vicinity. Thus, the toad fish warn: this territory is mine!
Striped catfish (lat. Anarhichas lupus)
A fish that lives primarily in the cold, deep-sea regions of the Atlantic. Due to its aggressive nature, it received the nickname “Atlantic wolf”.
The teeth of A. Lupus wear out very quickly, probably due to heavy load, but new ones quickly grow in place of the worn ones.
Lumpy 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 they can ambush prey. They move slowly along the bottom, practically merging with it, which is greatly facilitated by the flattened shape of the body and camouflage coloring.
European anglerfish (lat. Lophius piscatorius)
Quite a large fish with a body length of up to 2 meters. The species is popularly known as "monkfish".
The body is not covered with fish, the skin is dense with numerous outgrowths, bumps and hairs that imitate algae and camouflage the fish.
It hunts using a special bioluminescent bait, hiding at the bottom. The huge mouth and pharynx allow the European anglerfish to swallow very large prey whole.
The monkfish has a nasty character; attacks on larger fish and even divers are not uncommon.
European stargazer (lat. Uranoscopus scaber)
Predatory fish from the order Perciformes. Body size 20-35 cm. Lives in warm regions of the oceans and the Mediterranean Sea.
The stargazer got its name because of the location of its eyes, which are constantly directed to the sky.
It is dangerous due to the poisonous spines located above the pectoral fins.
Common chauliod (Chauliodus sloani)
A real monster from the abyss. It is found in temperate and tropical zones of the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans at depths from 500 to 4000 meters.
Due to their narrow, elongated body and huge teeth, they received 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 can open 110 degrees, thanks to which the hauliod is able to swallow prey up to 63% of the size of the predator itself.
West Atlantic pipistrelle (lat. Ogcocephalus parvus)
A very strange and still little-studied fish from the order Anglerfishes. Inhabits the bottom of warm subtropical and tropical seas.
The fins of the pipistrelle bat act more like legs; with their help, the fish slowly moves along the bottom.
Today I propose to look at what fish live on the bottom of the world's oceans, you know many of them, but I think you will be interested in learning more about them. who is too lazy to read in the first video everything is there)))
I hope you like it!http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=BU7dD-4sbKM
Footbalfish - "soccer ball" fish
Footbalfish is a family of deep-sea fish of the order Anglerfish, found in tropical and subtropical waters of the world's oceans. Due to its round shape, reminiscent of a ball, in English-speaking countries the fish was given the name “football fish”.
Like other anglerfish, this family is characterized by pronounced sexual dimorphism - female fish are large, almost ideally spherical in shape. The length of an adult female can exceed 60 cm. Males, on the contrary, are very small - less than 4 cm, and the body is slightly elongated. Both males and females are dark in color - from reddish-brown to completely black.
Footbalfish was first discovered in the early 20th century while searching for flounder habitats. The habitat of these anglerfish begins at a depth of 1000 m and below. Fish are not very active.
Meshkorot
large deep-sea fish that live in all oceans, with the exception of the Arctic Ocean. Poorly studied.
The bagmouth should not be confused with the bagworm, which is much smaller in size and lives closer to the surface.
Sackmouth (lat. Saccopharynx) is the only known genus of deep-sea fish in the family Sackmouth. It lives at a depth of 2 to 5 km. Adult fish can reach 2 meters in length. Coupled with a huge mouth lined with sharp teeth, a person sees the bagworm as a real monster from the depths.
The body of the fish is cigar-shaped, with a long tail that can be 4 times the length of the body. The mouth is large, strong and flexible, with teeth curved inside the mouth. The fish's skull is missing some bones, so it is easy for the bagmouth to open its mouth almost 180 degrees. Even the gills are not like the gills of other fish, and are located not on the head, but on the belly. At great depths there is not always enough food, so the fish has adapted to eat for future use, swallowing more food than its own weight and size. Having eaten your fill of sack, you can go without food for a long time.
Unicorn comb fish. Unicorn crestfish
Unicorn crestfish is a very rare, little-studied fish, found everywhere at depths of 1000 m. It got its name from the horn-like growth on its head.
Crestfish are inhabitants of tropical waters, living at great depths. They are characterized by the presence of a huge dorsal fin extending from the head to the tip of the tail. All of them have an elongated thin body of silver color. The most important “attraction” of some combs is the ink sacs, which allow the fish, in case of danger, to throw out a cloud of ink, confusing predators and allowing the fish to retreat.
Sticktail (Stylophorus chordatus)
The sticktail (Stylophorus chordatus) is a deep-sea fish with an elongated body and a long caudal fin, which makes up 2/3 of the total length of the fish. Lives in the warm waters of the world's oceans.
The sticktail lives at a depth of 300-800 m. At night, the fish rises closer to the surface, and returns back at night. The height of daily migrations can be 300 meters.
The sticktail is a fairly rare fish, although there is no exact data on the population. The discovery of Stylophorus chordatus occurred in 1791 by the English zoologist G. Shaw, but the next time the animal was in the hands of scientists happened only a century later.
coal fish
The sablefish is a deep-sea commercial fish that lives in the northern part of the Pacific Ocean, including Russia.
The coalfish lives on the turbid seabed at a depth of up to 2,700 m. It is predatory - hunts small fish, jellyfish, cuttlefish and krill. It grows up to 120 cm. An adult can gain weight of 50 kg.
Sablefish is a commercial fishery object. Fish is especially prized in Japan, where it is served in the most expensive restaurants fried, baked and smoked, and used to make sushi.
Trippod fish
Trippod fish is a deep-sea bottom-dwelling fish known for its long arms on which it “stands” on the bottom.
The tripod fish is truly a unique fish. It has very long rays growing from the pectoral fins and tail. The fish relies on these rays when it “stands” at the bottom. The length of these rays can be 1 m, and the length of an adult fish is 30-37 cm. It lives in all oceans, with the exception of the Arctic Ocean, at great depths from 800 to 5,000 m.
The tripod fish spends most of its time standing on its arms on the seabed.
Observations of fish have shown that the eyes of Trippod fish are poorly developed and do not take part in the feeding process. In complete darkness they would not have helped. The fish uses its long front pectoral fins to locate prey. They act like hands, constantly feeling the space around them. Having caught an object and determined that it is edible, the tripod fish sends it directly into its mouth.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=yOKdog8zbXw
Make a mistake
Oshibni are a family of deep-sea fish whose name comes from the Greek "ophis", meaning "snake". They are found in temperate and tropical waters of the world's oceans.
Bugs live near the bottom. Most of these fish were found at great depths of 2000 m and below. One species of bug, Abyssobrotula galatheae, was caught at a record depth for bony fish - 8,370 m in the deep-sea Puerto Rico Trench in the Atlantic Ocean.
Unlike their closest relatives - fish from the Brotula family, bugs are not viviparous, but lay eggs. The small things that appear grow close to the surface, merging with the zooplankton that is abundant in the tropical region.
Let's look at some of the most interesting types of errors.
Abyssobrotula galatheae
Pink cusk-eel
Giant Grenadier or Giant Grenadier
The giant grenadier or giant grenadier is a deep-sea fish from the order Gadidae, found only in the North Pacific Ocean. Has commercial value.
The giant grenadier is most often found in the cold waters surrounding Russia - the Sea of Okhotsk, the coast of Kamchatka, near the Kuril and Commander Islands. Here it is known as the "little-eyed longtail" or "little-eyed grenadier", although in other countries it is commonly called the giant grenadier.
The size of the fish is truly gigantic compared to other deep-sea fish. Adults can reach 2 meters in height and weigh 20-30 kg. The maximum recorded age of an adult fish was 56 years, but it is believed that the giant grenadier can live even longer.
Lasiognathus - skilled fisherman
Lasiognathus is a fish from the genus of monkfish that lives in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. Known among ichthyologists under the unofficial name “skillful fisherman”
Lasiognathus got its nickname as a fisherman for a reason. This deep-sea fish has an almost real fishing rod, with which it hunts other fish and invertebrates. It consists of a short fishing rod (basal bone), fishing line (modified ray of the dorsal fin), hook (large skin teeth) and bait (luminous photophores). This gear is truly remarkable. In different subspecies of Lasoignatus, the structure of the fishing rod can vary from short (up to the middle of the body) to long (exceeds the length of the body).
Bagworm or black eater
The bagworm is a deep-sea representative of perciformes from the suborder chiasmodidae. This small fish grows up to 30 cm in length and is found throughout tropical and subtropical waters.
This fish is called a sac swallower for its ability to swallow prey that 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 fish from expanding. Therefore, he can easily swallow a fish four times his length and 10 times heavier!
Macropinna microstoma is a fish with a transparent head.
Macropinna microstoma is a small deep-sea fish known for its transparent head, through which it sees with eyes located inside the soft tissues of the head. It lives in the cool waters of the Arctic and Pacific oceans, at a depth of over 500 meters.
This fish was first shown to the public quite recently, only in 2004. It was then that photographs of Macropinna microstoma were obtained. Before this, only zoologists showed interest in the fish, who speculated about how this fish, with such a strange visual mechanism, was able to see at great depths in almost complete darkness. And is she even capable? As we already know from the example of other deep-sea fish, vision at such depths is not of great importance.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=RM9o4VnfHJU
Sea bat
Sea pipistrelles are a family of deep-sea bottom-dwelling fish that have specially adapted to life at high pressure. They practically cannot swim, moving along the bottom on their modified fins, which have become similar to the legs of land animals.
Sea pipistrelles live everywhere in the warm waters of the world's oceans, without swimming into the cold waters of the Arctic. As a rule, they all stay at depths of 200 - 1000 meters, but there are species of pipistrelle bats that prefer to stay closer to the surface, not far from the shores. People are quite familiar with pipistrelle bats, which prefer surface waters.
sea slug
The sea slug is a deep-sea fish species that, together with the bassogigas, are the deepest-sea fish on the planet. In 1970, sea slugs were discovered at a depth of 8 km.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=w-Kwbp4hYJE
Cycloton
Cycloton is a widespread, medium-sized deep-sea fish of the Gonostomidae family. It is found everywhere at depths from 200 to 2000 m. Cycloton is the most important element of the food chain of various deep-sea and valuable commercial fish.
Cycloton is a fish that spends most of its life drifting with ocean currents, unable to resist them. Only occasionally do they make small vertical migrations.
Drop fish.
The Blobfish is a deep-sea fish that lives in the deep waters near Australia and Tasmania. Extremely rare in humans and considered critically endangered.
An adult fish grows up to 30 cm. It lives at depths of 800 - 1,500 m. The body of the fish is a watery substance with a density less than that of water.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=SyodDVT1A40
Opisthoproct.
Opisthoproctus (Barreleye) is a deep-sea fish, also known as “ghost fish”. This is not a large and very interesting fish. The scientific name Opisthoproctidae comes from the Greek opisthe ("behind", "behind") and proktos ("anus").
Opisthoproct lives at great depths up to 2,500 m in all oceans, with the exception of the Arctic. Their appearance is unique and does not allow them to be confused with other deep-sea fish.
Sabertooth
Sabertooth is a deep-sea fish that lives in tropical and temperate zones at depths from 200 to 5,000 m. It grows up to 15 cm in length, reaching 120 g of body weight.
Saber teeth grow quite slowly. Scientists suggest that the fish can reach 10 years of age.
Hatchetfish
Hatchetfish are 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 “axe-body”
Most often hatchets can be found at depths of 200-600 m. However, they are known to be found at depths of 2 km.
Ghost shark or sea chimera
Marine chimeras are deep-sea fish, the oldest inhabitants among modern cartilaginous fish. Distant relatives of modern sharks.
Chimeras grow up to 1.5 m, however, in adult individuals, half of the body is the tail, which is a long, thin and narrow part of the body.
These fish live at very great depths, sometimes exceeding 2.5 km
Deep sea anglerfish
The deep-sea anglerfish is a deep-sea fish from the order Anglerfish. They live at great depths of the World Ocean, preferring to stay up to 3 km. from the surface of the water.
Female anglerfish feed on other foods