Top 15 Strange Deep Sea Creatures

Marine creatures, especially deep sea species form an interesting area of scientific study. To know about deep sea marine life and discover the strange life tucked deep in the oceans can be fascinating to many. The deep waters house the most remarkable creatures to have lived on earth, the deep sea marine life being the most attention-grabbing.

We have explored only about 5 per cent of the vast stretches of the sea and the rest remain unknown to us. Of late, scientists have discovered a number of new interesting facts about the ocean, plants and creatures that roam deep in the sea and remain oblivious to the human world. In pitch black, almost without oxygen there are undersea animals  which can melt your heart or scare the living daylights out of you.  Below are a list of some weird deep ocean creatures found in our world, though they might seem to have come from entirely another planet.

Pink See-through fantasia:

This delicious-looking crazy sea creature with an unusual name is not as pretty as it looks or sounds. It has been discovered only recently that these underwater creatures roam in the Celebes sea in the western Pacific region. It is considered to be a sea cucumber, swimming freely in the deep ocean waters  but not considered dangerous to humans as such.

Frilled Shark:

It is the rarest kind of shark and has been viewed and photographed very sparingly. It is one of the most unusual sea creatures found in the deep waters of the Atlantic and the Pacific. Known as the “living fossil”, this shark displays primitive features with dark-brown and eel-like body with frilly gill slits. Since this shark has rarely been encountered alive, it is held not to be a danger to humans either. Commercialization of fisheries into deep sea region have endangered this deep sea fish species of late.

Viperfish:

This interesting sea creature is found 250-5000 feet below sea surface and is one of the sea creatures of the deep. It is one of the fiercest predators of the deep sea, hence its name. it has sharp fang-like teeth to capture and immobilize its prey. They are known to survive very long periods without any nutrition. Many scientists have labeled the Viperfish one of the most scary ocean creatures.

Vampire squid:

This is a small, deep-sea cephalod whose maximum length is about 1 feet in length. It can survive in absolute darkness and in a zone called the oxygen minimum It has eight webbed arms, limpid eyes and jelly-like body and produces a gel substance when threatened which is bioluminescent, distracting the approaching attacker and enabling the squid to disappear in to the darkness. The “light” is visible only for a few minutes. So even if the predator trails it and thereafter, a few minutes later, this weird deep sea creature swims into the darkness.

Whale shark:

This deep sea animal looks like a whale and behaves like a shark but is actually a fish. At 46 feet, this deep undersea creature holds the record of being the largest non-mammalian vertebrae. It is found in warm waters of the tropical oceans and can survive up to 70 years in the wild and even more in captivity though it has never actually been captured alive. They are grey with a white belly and unique yellow spots and stripes. The whale shark usually filter feeds, meaning, it moves through water and takes in water along with small fishes and planktons and the ‘not-needed’ part of the diet is filtered automatically by the various rows of teeth it possesses.

Goblin shark:

This is another one of the unusual sea creatures with an equally unusual name. They grow about 10-12 feet and have an elongated snout and nail-like teeth. They have been rarely captured and hence are among the less studied deep sea creatures. With a long lineage of 125 million years, they are also considered to be “living fossil”. They are among those marine creatures that have been linked with myths and folk tales.

Christmas tree worm:

Discovered in the Great Barrier reef’s lizard Island, this deep sea species has derived its apt name from its appearance. It is a tube-like creature with spiral “branches” which are used for feeding and breathing. These may be retracted when the creature feels threatened. Beautiful to look at, they are not dangerous to humankind.

Giant isopod:

These unusual sea creatures are of the isopod family but are larger than the typical isopods which grow up to 5 centimeters. Giant isopods can grow to 76 centimetres, looking like a cockroach in the ocean. They are found in the cold regions of the Atlantic, Pacific and the Indian oceans and lead a solitary life. Many times, they are baited and trapped to be displayed at marine aquariums.

Bioluminescent octopus:

They are one of the interesting sea creatures found near the Gulf of Maine. It glows with its own light which it emits to attract its prey, which swims right into its mouth. This undersea animal can adequately re-position its light-emitting organs any way it wants to lure its unsuspecting prey. Many creatures of this species have been captured for commercial purposes, mainly to be displayed, and yet they remain one of the rare sea animals.

Blobfish:

Also popularly called the “fathead”, it was termed as the ‘World’s Ugliest Animal’ in 2013. It resembles an ugly pink big blob with a distorted face and is known to eat anything that swims by. This deep sea fish species is very lazy and therefore not any threat to anyone! The Blobfish is also one of the rare sea animals known to man.

Kiwa:

This is one of the most crazy sea creatures and it was so unusual when it was found that scientists named it among the rare sea animals. it looks like a crab except its normal-looking claws are covered in fur which contains poisonous bacteria. Since it is practically blind, it detoxifies its food with the furry claws before consumption.

Terrible Claw Lobster:

They are grouped among deep sea monsters because of their claws. They are also blind and have elongated claws with numerous zig-zag sharper and smaller claws meant for trapping their prey and crushing their bones. They are mostly found in the waters surrounding Australia.

Dumbo Octopus:

They are one of the deepest ocean creatures, living below 25000 feet. They look different from other octopuses with fan-like long tentacles. To move about, they are equipped with two ear-like fins which help them to swim. Because of their funny appearance, they have been affectionately named Dumbo octopus.

Coffin fish:

These underwater creatures are named so because they are dull pink in colour and covered with black and white spines and are shaped like a ball. They are deep sea hunters and are considered among the crazy sea creatures. They often lure their prey by a fleshy protrusion and can blow themselves up if they feel threatened, giving it a strange, scary look.

Stargazer:

These creatures of the deep sea called so because of the position of their eyes and mouth, both which are located right on the top of their heads. They bury themselves in the sand and when they sense their prey passing above them,, they leap and capture it, thereby surprising the unsuspecting passer-by. Stargazers are considered to be one of the undersea creatures known to deliver fatal shocks as some are electric.

The above list of strange deep sea marine life is not exhaustible and there are many more such ocean species which are equally crazy, weird and dangerous. We have not yet explored and discovered all ocean biome animals and a plethora of marine creatures still remain unknown to us. The underwater creatures of the deep sea prefer to remain in their own isolated habitat, making it extremely difficult to know and study each of them. Pictures of ocean animals as described above can be found widely on the internet with greater explanation. Deep sea marine life is very interesting and also dangerous. There have been numerous expeditions to explore the undersea animals throughout human history. Some of the big sea creatures have been spotted by accident or have been washed on to the shore, however other deep sea marine life have been deliberately captured for scientific study. As technology advances and we are able to venture further into the depths of the unknown, it is a mystery as to what else shall be found.

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