Horrors of the deep!!

 

As someone who has a fascination with the sea and the things that swim around in it, I'm amazed at some of the more unusual creatures that inhabit the darkest depths of our oceans.

 

Anglerfish

 

 

Reblogged from National Geographic - READ MORE

 

"The angry-looking deep sea anglerfish has a right to be cranky. It is quite possibly the ugliest animal on the planet, and it lives in what is easily Earth's most inhospitable habitat: the lonely, lightless bottom of the sea.

There are more than 200 species of anglerfish, most of which live in the murky depths of the Atlantic and Antarctic oceans, up to a mile below the surface, although some live in shallow, tropical environments. Generally dark gray to dark brown in color, they have huge heads and enormous crescent-shaped mouths filled with sharp, translucent teeth. Some angler fish can be quite large, reaching 3.3 feet (1 meter) in length. Most however are significantly smaller, often less than a foot."

 

Black Dragonfish

 

 

 

Reblogged from Seasky - READ MORE

 

"The deep sea dragonfish, sometimes known as the scaleless dragonfish, is a ferocious predator that inhabits the deep oceans of the world. Known scientifically as Grammatostomias flagellibarba, it has extremely large teeth compared to its body size. In spite of its gruesome appearance, its is a small fish, measuring only about 6 inches (about 15 centimeters) in length. There are several different species of dragonfish. All are very similar in appearance."

 

Blobfish

 

 

 

Reblogged from Fishkeeper - READ MORE

 

"One of the most odd looking of all fish species has be the 'Blobfish' (Psychrolutes marcidus). The Blobfish is a deep sea fish of the family Psychrolutidae, inhabiting the deep waters off the coasts of mainland Australia and Tasmania. Adults are known to grow up to 12 inches in length and their distinctive features make the Blobfish look more like a ball of slime than a living creature. When looked at straight on, the face resembles more like one of a human than that of a fish, where 2 large eyes peer forward and a large flap of skin folds over the wide mouth to form 'a nose'. In fact so large is the head of a Blobfish, that it weighs a surprising third of its total body weight and the rest of the body descends dramatically into a short tail."

 

Vampire Squid

 

 

 

Reblogged from Seasky - READ MORE

 

"The vampire squid, known to scientists as Vampyroteuthis infernalis, looks like something that swam out of a late-night science fiction movie. But in spite of its monstrous name, its is a small creature, growing to only about six inched in length. The vampire squid is an ancient species and is a phylogenic relict, meaning that is is the only surviving member of the order Vampyromorphida. It is a unique member of the cephalopod family in that it shares similarities with both squid and octopuses. In fact, it was originally and mistakenly identified as an octopus by researchers in 1903."

 

Predatory Tunicate

 

 

 

Reblogged from Real Monstrosities - READ MORE

 

"The Predatory Tunicate. It's a great, big mouth on a stalk, isn't it? Sort of like those people who can eat anything they want without putting on an ounce of weight. It's a hungry sock puppet. The deep sea at it's best!
Most tunicates have a relaxing life, sucking water in and filtering out plankton. The Predatory Tunicate is more active and go-getting, even though it's got a stalk and is stuck to the sea floor.
It's perfectly clear what they do. They have what is effectively a big mouth. When little creatures wander in, the big mouth closes. Clearly, their guts are held somewhere in the stalk. There's simply nothing else to it!
Once they've sucked their food in they reset the trap and wait for more."

 

Sarcastic Fringehead

 

 

Reblogged from Aquarium of Pacific - READ MORE

 

"Although usually less than 10 inches long, sarcastic fringeheads are fearless and extremely aggressive, charging anything that approaches their burrows. The sarcastic part of their common name is attributed to their temperament and the fringehead to the distinctive appendages over their eyes."

 

Pink Long Hand Fish

 

 

Reblogged from Animal Facts - READ MORE

 

"Handfish (family Brachionichthyidae) are bony fish with pectoral fins that look like hands. They use these modified fins to walk on the bottom of the sea floor.

Although handfish may appear to be a "missing link", humans did not evolve directly from handfish, and human hands did not evolve from handfish fins.

Human beings are tetrapods - vertebrates that walk on land or that descended from other vertebrates that walked on land."

 

Giant Isopod

 

 

Reblogged from Seasky - READ MORE

 

"Looking like it just crawled out of a bad science fiction movie, the giant isopod is without a doubt one of the strangest creatures found in the deep sea. Known scientifically as Bathynomus giganteus, it is one of about nine members of the genus Bathynomus. It is also the largest known members of the isopod family, a group of crustaceans closely related to shrimps and crabs. The giant isopod is also related to the small pillbugs that you can find in the garden. In fact, this insect-like creature is sometimes referred to as the giant pillbug. Giant isopods are not usually fished commercially, although some can be found in the occasional oceanside restaurant in northern Taiwan, where they are boiled and served with rice."

 

There you go, more fodder to feed your nightmares. :D