Underwater unknown large animals about. The most unusual inhabitants of the ocean depths
Undersea world mysterious and unique. It contains secrets that have not yet been solved by man. We invite you to get acquainted with the most unusual sea creatures and plunge into the unknown depths water world and see her beauty.
1. Atoll Jellyfish (Atolla vanhoeffeni)
Extraordinary beautiful jellyfish Atolla lives at such depths where it does not penetrate sunlight. In times of danger, it can glow, attracting large predators. Jellyfish do not seem tasty to them, and predators eat their enemies with pleasure.
This jellyfish is capable of emitting a bright red glow, which is a consequence of the breakdown of proteins in its body. Usually, large jellyfish- dangerous creatures, but you should not be afraid of the Atoll, because its habitat is where no swimmer can reach.
2. Blue Angel (Glaucus atlanticus)
This very tiny mollusk rightfully deserves its name; it seems to float on the water surface. To become lighter and stay at the very edge of the water, it swallows air bubbles from time to time.
These unusual creatures have an unusual body shape. They are blue above and silver below. It is not for nothing that nature has provided such camouflage - the Blue Angel remains unnoticed by birds and sea predators. A thick layer of mucus around the mouth allows it to feed on small poisonous inhabitants seas.
3. Harp sponge (Chondrocladia lyra)
This mysterious one sea predator has not yet been sufficiently studied. The structure of its body resembles a harp, hence the name. The sponge is inactive. It clings to the sediment of the seabed and hunts by gluing small underwater inhabitants to its sticky tips.
The harp sponge covers its prey with a bactericidal film and gradually digests it. There are individuals with two or more lobes, which are connected in the center of the body. The more blades, the more food the sponge will catch.
4. Dumbo Octopus (Grimpoteuthis)
The octopus got its name because of its resemblance to the Disney hero, Dumbo the elephant, although it has a semi-gelatinous body of rather modest size. Its fins resemble elephant ears. He waves them around as he swims, which looks quite funny.
Not only the “ears” help to move, but also the peculiar funnels located on the octopus’ body, through which it releases water under pressure. Dumbo lives very great depth, so we don’t know much about him. Its diet consists of all kinds of mollusks and worms.
Octopus Dumbo
5. Yeti Crab (Kiwa hirsuta)
The name of this animal speaks for itself. A crab covered with white shaggy fur really resembles Bigfoot. It lives in cold waters at such depths where there is no access to light, so it is completely blind.
These amazing animals grow microorganisms on their claws. Some scientists believe that the crab needs these bacteria to purify the water from toxic substances, others suggest that the bristles are where the crabs grow their own food.
6. Short-snouted pipistrelle (Ogcocephalus)
This fashionable fish with bright red lips can't swim at all. Living at a depth of more than two hundred meters, it has a flat body covered with a shell and fin-like legs, thanks to which the short-snouted bat slowly walks along the bottom.
It obtains food using a special growth - a kind of retractable fishing rod with an odorous bait that attracts prey. The discreet coloring and spiked shell help the fish hide from predators. Perhaps this is the funniest animal among the inhabitants of the world's oceans.
7. Sea slug Felimare Picta
Felimare Picta is one of the species sea slugs, living in the waters of the Mediterranean. He looks very extravagant. The yellow-blue body seems to be surrounded by a delicate airy frill.
Felimare Picta, although a mollusk, does without a shell. And why does he need her? In case of danger sea slug has something much more interesting. For example, acidic sweat that is released on the surface of the body. It's really bad luck for anyone who wants to treat themselves to this mysterious mollusk!
8. Flamingo tongue clam (Cyphoma gibbosum)
This creature is found on west coast Atlantic Ocean. Having a brightly colored mantle, the mollusk completely covers its plain shell with it and thus protects it from negative influence marine organisms.
Like common snail, “Flamingo tongue” hides in its shell in case of impending danger. By the way, the mollusk received this name due to its bright color with characteristic spots. It prefers poisonous gongonaria as food. While eating, the snail absorbs the poison of its prey, after which it becomes poisonous itself.
9. Leafy sea dragon (Phycodurus eques)
The sea dragon is a true virtuoso of mimicry. It is all covered with “leaves”, which help it appear invisible against the backdrop of the underwater landscape. It is interesting that such abundant vegetation does not help the dragon move at all. Only two tiny fins located on its chest and back are responsible for its speed. Leaf Dragon is a predator. It feeds by sucking prey into itself.
Dragons feel comfortable in the shallow waters of warm seas. And also these sea inhabitants They are reputed to be excellent fathers, because it is the males who bear the offspring and take care of them.
10. Salps (Salpidae)
Salps are invertebrates Marine life, which have a barrel-shaped body, through the transparent shell of which internal organs are visible.
IN ocean depths ah, animals form long chains of colonies that are easily broken even by a minor wave shock. Salps reproduce by budding.
11. Piglet squid (Helicocranchia pfefferi)
This strange and little-studied underwater creature resembles “Piglet” from the famous cartoon. The completely transparent body of the piglet squid is covered age spots, the combination of which sometimes gives him cheerful look. Around the eyes there are so-called photophores - organs of luminescence.
This mollusk is leisurely. It's funny that the piggy squid moves upside down, which is why its tentacles look like forelocks. He lives at a depth of one hundred meters.
12. Ribbon moray eel (Rhinomuraena guaesita)
This underwater inhabitant quite unusual. Throughout its life, the ribbon moray eel is capable of changing sex and color three times, depending on the stages of its development. So, when the individual is still immature, it is colored black or dark blue.The ocean is still the most mysterious place of our planet.
What can I say: we still do not understand all the secrets hidden on 70% of the Earth. We can say that people really know more about space - scientists recently calculated that despite all our achievements in the field of underwater technologies, only 5% of the ocean depths remain explored.
Therefore, it is not surprising that from time to time oceanographers stumble upon completely new species of underwater creatures. Sometimes encounters with mysterious creatures take place on the open sea, and sometimes the ocean helpfully throws strange creatures right under a person’s feet, as if mocking the arrogant title of “King of Nature.” Just look at what people have to face in the vast depths!
Monster from the East River
This disgusting-looking creature was carried out by the river right under the Brooklyn Bridge, where tourists like to gather. Biologists have sounded the alarm - the likelihood that mysterious beast brought with him a contagious disease, was very great. However, no one had time to blink an eye when the feds ordered the remains to be burned. What it was no one knows to this day.
Beast of Lake Macquarie
Last March the good citizens of New South Wales in full force spilled onto the shores of Lake Macquarie. One of the fishermen pulled out a strange creature with his net, which most closely resembled the illegitimate child of a crocodile and a boa constrictor. Just think how terrible it was appearance creatures, if even Australians were surprised, where eagle-sized spiders often roam the streets.
Cthulhu
The first video of a giant squid appeared only in 2013. These invertebrates still worry marine biologists, as few have had the chance to even examine its tattered remains. And in May 2015, a seven-meter squid carcass washed up on the coast of New Zealand - local residents They immediately dubbed him “Cthulhu.”
Creature from Panama
An encounter with this creature almost cost the lives of a couple of teenagers who decided to plunge into the choppy waters of the river near Cerro Azul. The creature grabbed one of the guys by the leg, but apparently underestimated the hot Mexican blood. Out of fear, the teenagers beat the predator with stones, and the scientists only threw up their hands during the autopsy - it is absolutely unclear who this is.
Siamese whales
And another discovery of the Mexicans: they found twin whales in coastal waters. Apparently these Siamese twins They could not find food for themselves and simply died of hunger.
Globster
In March last year, a creature washed up on the Acapulco beach, which the press immediately dubbed the “globster.” It doesn’t look like anything else in the world, and even marine biologists could only shrug at the sight of the globster. According to the wildest assumptions, the globster is nothing more than a mutated squid. But where does a squid get its fur?
Finding Zuie-Maru
Carcass of the mysterious sea beast discovered the Japanese trawler Zuie-Maru in the water. Ten meters long, red fins and a long tail- go find out what kind of creature it was. The captain gave the order to throw the remains overboard, since there was still a long road ahead. fishing season. Luckily, the fishermen managed to take at least a few photographs.
Giant sea serpent
When a pair of giant sea snakes washed up on a Californian beach, local residents raised the alarm. The fact is that these creatures live only at very great depths and rise to the surface only after feeling vibrations earth's crust. There was no earthquake then, but marine biologists were still quite surprised: one of the pair turned out to be completely unknown to science sea serpent, but a mysterious, although very similar to him, creature.
Russian beast
The Western press prefers to call the find the “Russian Beast,” but in our country the name “Sakhalin Monster” has stuck. An incomprehensible carcass three meters long washed up on the coast of Sakhalin in March 2015: beak, wool and unpaired fins. Welcome to the underwater world!
Deep Sea Maw
Well, this creature attacked the fragile boat of Filipino fishermen in December 2015. A five-meter fish with a huge mouth tried to overturn the skiff, and who knows how this confrontation would have ended if one of the fishermen had not taken a revolver with him into the sea. Screaming in horror, the Filipino shot the creature, which was then dragged ashore.
Seas and oceans occupy more than half the area of our planet, but they are still shrouded in mysteries for humanity. We strive to conquer space and are looking for extraterrestrial civilizations, but at the same time, only 5% of the world's oceans have been explored by people. But this data is enough to be horrified by what creatures live deep underwater, where sunlight does not penetrate.
The chauliod family includes 6 species of deep-sea fish, but the most common of them is the common hauliod. These fish live in almost all waters of the world's oceans, with the exception of cold waters. northern seas and the Arctic Ocean.
Chauliodas got their name from the Greek words “chaulios” - open mouth, and “odous” - tooth. Indeed, these relatively small fish (about 30 cm in length) have teeth that can grow up to 5 centimeters, which is why their mouth never closes, creating a creepy grin. Sometimes these fish are called sea vipers.
Howliods live at depths from 100 to 4000 meters. At night they prefer to rise closer to the surface of the water, and during the day they descend into the very abyss of the ocean. Thus, during the day, fish make huge migrations of several kilometers. With the help of special photophores located on the hauliod's body, they can communicate with each other in the dark.
On dorsal fin The viper fish has one large photophore, with which it lures its prey directly to its mouth. After which, with a sharp bite of needle-sharp teeth, the hauliods paralyze the prey, leaving it no chance of salvation. The diet mainly includes small fish and crustaceans. According to unreliable data, some individuals of hauliods can live up to 30 years or more.
The long-horned sabertooth is another fearsome deep-sea predatory fish, living in all four oceans. Although the saber tooth looks like a monster, it grows to a very modest size (about 15 centimeters in length). Fish head with big mouth occupies almost half the length of the body.
The long-horned sabertooth got its name due to its long and sharp lower fangs, which are the largest in relation to body length among all fish known to science. The terrifying appearance of the sabertooth earned it the unofficial name - “monster fish”.
Adults can vary in color from dark brown to black. The younger representatives look completely different. They are light gray in color and have long spines on their heads. The sabertooth is one of the deepest-sea fish in the world; in rare cases, they descend to depths of 5 kilometers or more. The pressure at these depths is enormous, and the water temperature is about zero. There is catastrophically little food here, so these predators hunt for the first thing that gets in their way.
The size of the deep-sea dragon fish absolutely does not fit with its ferocity. These predators, which reach a length of no more than 15 centimeters, can eat prey two or even three times its size. The dragon fish lives in tropical zones The world's oceans at a depth of up to 2000 meters. The fish has a large head and a mouth equipped with many sharp teeth. Like the Howlyod, the dragonfish has its own bait for prey, which is a long whisker with a photophore at the end, located on the fish's chin. The hunting principle is the same as for all deep-sea individuals. Using a photophore, the predator lures the victim to the closest possible distance, and then with a sharp movement inflicts a fatal bite.
The deep-sea anglerfish is rightfully the ugliest fish in existence. There are about 200 species of anglerfish, some of which can grow up to 1.5 meters and weigh 30 kilograms. Due to its creepy appearance and bad character, this fish was nicknamed the monkfish. live deep sea anglerfish everywhere at a depth of 500 to 3000 meters. The fish has a dark brown color, a large flat head with many spines. The devil's huge mouth is studded with sharp and long teeth curved inward.
Deep-sea anglerfish have pronounced sexual dimorphism. Females tenfold larger than males and are predators. Females have a rod with fluorescent appendage at the end to attract fish. Most anglers spend time on seabed, burrowing into sand and silt. Due to huge mouth, this fish can swallow whole prey that is twice its size. That is, hypothetically, a large individual anglerfish could eat a person; Fortunately, there have never been such cases in history.
Probably the most strange inhabitant depths of the sea You can call it a bagmouth or, as it is also called, a pelican-shaped largemouth. Due to its abnormally huge mouth with a bag and a tiny skull in relation to the length of the body, the bagmouth looks more like some kind of alien creature. Some individuals can reach two meters in length.
In fact, bagmouths belong to the class of ray-finned fish, but these monsters do not have too many similarities with the cute fish that live in warm sea backwaters. Scientists believe that appearance These creatures changed many thousands of years ago due to their deep-sea lifestyle. Bagmouths have no gill rays, ribs, scales or fins, and the body is oblong with a luminous appendage on the tail. If not big mouth, then the bagmouth could easily be confused with an eel.
Bagworms live at depths from 2000 to 5000 meters in three world oceans, except the Arctic Ocean. Since there is very little food at such depths, bagmouths have adapted to long breaks in eating, which can last more than one month. These fish feed on crustaceans and other deep-sea brethren, mainly swallowing their prey whole.
The elusive giant squid, known to science as Architeuthis dux, is the world's largest mollusc and is thought to reach a length of 18 meters and weigh half a ton. On this moment A living giant squid has never yet fallen into human hands. Until 2004, there were no documented sightings of live giant squid at all, and general idea about these mysterious creatures It was based only on the remains washed ashore or caught in fishermen’s nets. Architeuthis live at depths of up to 1 kilometer in all oceans. Besides gigantic size these creatures have the largest eyes among living creatures (up to 30 centimeters in diameter).
So in 1887, the largest specimen in history, 17.4 meters long, washed up on the shores of New Zealand. In the next century, only two large dead representatives of the giant squid were discovered - 9.2 and 8.6 meters. In 2006, Japanese scientist Tsunami Kubodera managed to capture on camera a living female 7 meters long. natural environment habitat at a depth of 600 meters. The squid was lured to the surface by a small bait squid, but an attempt to bring a live specimen on board the vessel was unsuccessful - the squid died from multiple injuries.
Giant squids are dangerous predators, and the only one natural enemy for them are adult sperm whales. Available according to at least, two described cases of fight between squid and sperm whale. In the first, the sperm whale won, but soon died, suffocated by the giant tentacles of the mollusk. The second battle took place off the coast South Africa, then the giant squid fought with the baby sperm whale, and after an hour and a half fight, he still killed the whale.
Giant isopod, known to science, like Bathynomus giganteus, is largest species crustaceans. The average size deep-sea isopods range from 30 centimeters, but the largest recorded specimen weighed 2 kilograms and was 75 centimeters long. In appearance, giant isopods are similar to woodlice, and like the giant squid, they are a consequence of deep-sea gigantism. These crayfish live at a depth of 200 to 2500 meters, preferring to bury themselves in silt.
The body of these creepy creatures is covered with hard plates that act as a shell. In case of danger, crayfish can curl into a ball and become inaccessible to predators. By the way, isopods are also predators and can feast on a few small deep-sea fish and sea cucumbers. Powerful jaws and durable armor make the isopod a dangerous opponent. Although giant crayfish love to feast on live food, they often have to eat the remains of shark prey that fall from the upper layers of the ocean.
Coelacanth or coelacanth is a large deep sea fish, whose discovery in 1938 became one of the most important zoological discoveries of the 20th century. Despite its unattractive appearance, this fish is notable for the fact that for 400 million years it has not changed its appearance and body structure. In fact, this unique relict fish is one of the oldest living creatures on planet Earth, which existed long before the appearance of dinosaurs.
Coelacanth lives at a depth of up to 700 meters in the waters of the Indian Ocean. The length of the fish can reach 1.8 meters and weigh more than 100 kilograms, and the body has a beautiful blue tint. Since coelacanth is very slow, it prefers to hunt great depths where there is no competition with more fast predators. These fish can swim backwards or belly up. Despite the fact that the meat of the coelcanth is inedible, it is often the target of poaching among local residents. Currently ancient fish is in danger of extinction.
The deep sea goblin shark, or goblin shark as it is also called, is the most poorly studied shark to date. This species lives in the Atlantic and Indian Ocean at a depth of up to 1300 meters. The largest specimen was 3.8 meters long and weighed about 200 kilograms.
The goblin shark got its name due to its eerie appearance. Mitsekurina has movable jaws that move outward when bitten. The goblin shark was first accidentally caught by fishermen in 1898, and since then 40 more specimens of this fish have been caught.
Another relic representative sea abyss is a one-of-a-kind detritivore cephalopod that has external resemblance, both with squid and octopus. Yours unusual name the hellish vampire received thanks to the red body and eyes, which, however, depending on the lighting, can be blue color. Despite their terrifying appearance, these strange creatures They grow only up to 30 centimeters and, unlike other cephalopods, they eat exclusively plankton.
The body of a hellish vampire is covered with luminous photophores that create bright flashes lights that scare away enemies. In case of exceptional danger, these small mollusks turn their tentacles along the body, becoming like a ball with spikes. Hell's Vampires live at depths of up to 900 meters, and can exist perfectly in water with an oxygen level of 3% or lower, critical for other animals.
Incredible facts
Perhaps we should stop looking for aliens on other planets, since there are enough people living 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 primarily lives at depths from 270 to 1300 meters.
It is easily recognized by its elongated and flattened muzzle with retractable jaws with teeth sharp as fingernails. These sharks reach 3-4 meters in length, but can grow more than 6 meters.
5. Sea Spider
If you thought there were no spiders in the ocean, you were very mistaken. However, sea spiders have nothing to do with earth spiders, despite the external similarity. These are not spiders or even arachnids, but chelicerates - a subtype arthropods.
They live in the seas, especially in the Mediterranean and Caribbean, as well as in the Arctic and Southern oceans. There is more 1300 species of sea spiders, ranging in size from 1-10 mm to 90 cm.
6. Pompeii worm
Pompeian worms ( Alvinella pompejana) live in very hot water near hydrothermal vents Pacific Ocean and they can withstand extreme temperature and pressure.
7. Drop fish
Drop fish ( Psychrolutes marcidus) although it is considered the most ugly creature in the world, looks like a completely normal fish, being 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 swim bladder, skeleton or muscles, which allows it to swim at depth. If you raise it to the surface, it acquires saggy and sad looking.
Sea creatures
8. Bobbitt polychaete worm
Purple Australian polychaete worm, also known as the Bobbitt worm, can grow up to 3 meters long.
He hunts his prey in the most diabolical way, burrowing into sea bottom, leaving a small part of its 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 a fish in two.
9. Jellyfish "flower cap"
These jellyfish, with beautiful multi-colored tentacles emanating from a translucent umbrella, feed small fish, and sometimes with each other.
They can increase or decrease in size depending on food supplies.
10. Rag-picking seahorse
These slow-moving fish are related to seahorses. They rely mainly on their appendages, which resemble seaweed, thanks to which rag pickers camouflage and protect themselves from predators.
11. Siphonophores
Siphonophores are animal colonies, consisting of individual representatives called zooids, connected common trunk. Such a colony can reach several meters in length.
12. Corona 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 or central nervous system.
She lives in the deep 1000 - 4000 meters where sunlight does not penetrate. Being scared, this jellyfish "connects" bioluminescent blue lights, which 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 fierce fish with a large mouth and aggressive behavior.
When two pikes blennies fighting for territory, they press their widened 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 crachniid. Most of them, as the name suggests, are transparent, which helps them camouflage.
15. Pteropods
Pteropods are small sea snails which swim in the water on two wing-shaped legs. They are born male, but become female 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 inhabitants
17. Squid Worm
Scientists discovered this for the first time deep sea creature in 2007. It was nicknamed the squid worm because of its 10 tentacle-like appendages on the head, each of which is longer than the entire body. He uses them to collect food.
18. Lobster's menacing claws
This type of lobster Dinochelus ausubeli, which means "formidable claws", was discovered at depth 300 meters in the Philippines in 2007. It reaches a length of only 3 cm, and its toothy claws are its only frightening feature.
19. Sea anemone Venus flytrap
This sea anemone Actinoscyphia aurelia, was named after Venus flytrap plants due to their similar shape and feeding method. She folds her disk in half, trapping food and digesting it with her mouth located in the center of the disk.
Invasion of the unknown sea creatures January 15th, 2018
Local residents of Chukotka are frightened by the appearance in the coastal sea waters huge amount 25-meter snake-like creatures. Who is this and are people’s fears justified?
Periodically on the surface Bering Sea Near Chukotka (Russia), a previously unseen phenomenon occurs - the waters are filled with strange creatures, some of which “wash up” on the shore. The unknown is always scary, so local residents sounded the alarm.
And how can one not be afraid of monsters with a round head and a snake-like body reaching several tens of meters? What if these are some kind of worms - mutants or unknown to science animals that for some reason have chosen the local coast? Or maybe they are dangerous?
But, as they say, the casket simply opened. According to the scientists who studied these “monsters,” these are not animals at all, but plants. To be very precise, this is the algae Nereocystis luteke. The homeland of these annual giants is the Pacific coast North America. Moreover, the thickets of these algae can be so dense that they interfere with navigation.
Nereocystis lütke - brown algae, attached to the ground with the help of thin formations (rhizoids). They have a long thin stem (or trunk), which expands upward and ends in a “head with long hair” - a spherical formation, on top of which lamellar “leaves” grow, reaching several meters in length. IN certain moment Nereocystis lütke “lifts anchor” and “goes” into free swimming.
According to experts, this time, about which we're talking about, sea currents nailed a “group” of algae to the coast of Chukotka. But why didn't this happen before? No answer.
Why do “bald” algae that don’t have leaves on their “head” “wash up” on the shore? According to the same experts, in Nereocystis lutke the leaf fall first occurs, and only then the tide carries the stems with the “head” to the shore.
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