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- 15 bizarre creatures from the bottom of the ocean that look like aliens (businessinsider.com)
Deep Sea Dwellers: A Look at the Ocean’s Most Bizarre Creatures
The deep sea is home to some of the most unusual and fascinating creatures on Earth. Their strange adaptations, from enormous eyes to sharp teeth, allow them to survive in the cold, dark depths.
While much remains unknown about these elusive animals, underwater robots are giving researchers a glimpse into their mysterious world. Here are some of the most bizarre ocean dwellers:
- Frilled Shark: This “living fossil” retains features of its ancient ancestors. Rarely seen, the frilled shark has a 3.5-year gestation period – one of the longest of any vertebrate. It grows to over six feet long and preys on squid and fish.
- Hagfish: While technically a fish, the hagfish is often called a slime eel due to the gel-like substance it produces to deter predators. This “goop” has potential industrial and medical applications. Some hagfish species can grow up to four feet long.
- Atlantic Wolffish: With rows of sharp teeth, some protruding from its mouth, the Atlantic wolffish easily crushes the shells of its prey (scallops, hermit crabs, and sea urchins). It can survive frigid temperatures by producing a natural antifreeze.
- Goblin Shark: This rarely seen shark has a distinctive long, flat snout and over 100 teeth. It uses a “slingshot feeding” method, protruding its jaws at high speed to catch prey.
- Japanese Spider Crab: One of the largest arthropods, this crab can have a leg span of up to 13 feet! It’s a scavenger, drifting along the seafloor rather than actively hunting. Its lifespan is estimated to be between 50 and 100 years.
- Vampire Squid: Despite its name, this cephalopod feeds on decaying organic matter, not blood. Its webbed arms resemble a cloak, giving it a vampiric appearance. It defends itself by releasing a cloud of bioluminescent mucus.
- Anglerfish: Found worldwide, the anglerfish uses a bioluminescent lure to attract prey. In some species, the male permanently attaches to the female as a parasite.
- Grenadier (Rattail): This fish has gelatinous tissue and less-dense muscles, thought to increase buoyancy in the deep sea. Its large eyes help it spot bioluminescent prey.
- Ghost Shark (Chimaera): Related to sharks and rays, the ghost shark uses its snout to detect electric fields and movement. A venomous spine near its dorsal fin provides protection.
- Sarcastic Fringehead: This small, aggressive fish has an enormous mouth that it uses to intimidate rivals. It often inhabits abandoned worm tubes or even discarded cans.
- Barreleye: This fish has a transparent, fluid-filled head and rotating tubular eyes. This allows it to look upward for prey or forward to see what it’s eating.
- Blobfish: Famous for its “ugly” appearance on land, the blobfish looks more fish-like in its natural deep-sea habitat. Its gelatinous body helps it maintain depth without a swim bladder.
- Deepwater Lizardfish: This apex predator can grow to over two feet long and is known to be cannibalistic. Large eyes and numerous teeth make it an effective ambush predator.
- Slender Snipe Eel: This eel’s long, narrow snout gives its jaws a beak-like appearance. It’s believed to catch prey by swimming with its mouth open, allowing crustacean antennae to become entangled in its teeth.
- Sloane’s Viperfish: This fish can unhinge its jaws to swallow large prey. Its long teeth trap smaller fish and crustaceans. Bioluminescent organs help it attract prey and camouflage itself from predators.
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- 15 bizarre creatures from the bottom of the ocean that look like aliens (businessinsider.com)