10 bizzare deep sea creatures that will haunt your nightmares.
People mostly think about sharks, killer whales and giant octopus when asked about terrifying sea creatures, but in the deep sea there are much more terrifying creatures lurking around
1.Grilled shark:
Grilled shark was discovered in Awashima, Japan and is known to be at least 80 million years old by scientists. They commonly appear at a depth of 50 to 200 m (160 to 660 ft) where they hunt their prey with their huge and flexible jaws which also have around 300 razor sharp teeth.
Although they mostly live close to the sea level compared to other deep sea creatures, scientists have found specimens as deep as 12,00 m (3900 ft).
2. Chimaera:
Chimaeras, also known as ghost sharks, rat fish, are believed to be 420 million years old. They can grow upto 50 to 200 cm and their skin colour can vary from pitch black to brownish gray .They are mostly found in the template ocean floor in the depth of 2600 m (8500 ft).
Some of them are kept in public aquariums which makes them the few species to be shown in an aquarium. The can be found all over the globe except the Arctic Ocean and the Antarctic Ocean
3. Coffin fish:
Coffin fish have a rounded body with a small tail and a loose skin on top of that. They can grow upto 22 cm (8.7 in) and are found as deep as 60 to 300 m (164 to 984 ft). Although it is a smaller creature it has a relatively big mouth with sharp teeth.
They hunt by ambushing their prey and capture it by the small lutes above their snouts. Scientists don't have a clear idea about what they eat but they believe it mostly feeds on plankton, shrimps and other small creatures
4. Dumbo octopus:
The Dumbo octopus is a small species of octopus that tends to live in the deep dark area of the sea.
The name "Dumbo" originates from its resemblance to a character from Disney's .1941 film Dumbo, having a prominent ear- like fin.The don't live a long life as the average lifespan of these creatures is 3 to 5 years. They can be found in depths around 1000 to 7000 meters.Scientists haven't studied its feeding habits that much but they assume the Dumbo octopus hunts its prey by webbing and using cirri to move the food to its mouth.
5. Anglerfish:
Anglerfish live in a depth of upto a mile below the sea level. What is considered by most as the midnight zone.the deep anglerfish,the lure is created by bioluminescent bacteria that live inside the fish.
It roams around the deep sea and waits for something to take its bait. It catches the prey with its razor sharp teeth. They are found all over the globe from dwelling away from the seafloor to a depth of a mile below the level.
Their size can vary from 3 to 9 cm and some specimens can grow upto 100 cm.the can even extend their jaws and stomach allowing the to eat a prey double their size.
6. Giant isopod:
Isopods are considered to be a distant relative of Decapoda (crabs and shrimps). There are around 20 species of large size isopods all over the world. They are usually calm and shy but they can become aggressive and some are found to kill small fishes.
Giant isopods can be gigantic in terms of size as they can grow upto 76 cm (30 in) long. They mostly live at a depth of 170 m (560 ft) to the bathyal zone at 2100 m (7000 gt) and are found in the west Atlantic from off Georgia, Brazil,the gulf of Mexico and also the Caribbean. Although most of the specimens (around 80%) prefer to live between 360 to 730 m (1100 to 2400 ft).
7. Goblin shark:
The Goblin shark is an abnormal species of shark. They are quite rare and tend to live in the deep sea. They are also called a 'living fossil' and are the only species from the mitsukurinidae family to live to this age.
They have a unique pink skin on top of a flat snot and jaw filled with nail-like teeth. They can grow upto 4 m (13 ft) even though specimens are found as long as 6 m (20 ft). They live in the depth of 100 m (350 ft) but adults can be found 1300 m (4,270 ft).
8. The Japanese spider crab:
The Japanese spider crab has the largest leg-span out of any Arthropod. It lives in the waters around the off coasts of the Japanese island of Itonshū from Tokyo Bay to Kagoshima Prefecture. The Japanese spider crabs are much larger than their European counterparts.
Their leg-span can reach upto 3.7 m (12 ft) and their bodies can grow upto 40 cm (16 in). Some specimens can even weigh upto 19 kg (42 lb) which makes them the second largest Arthropod species right after the American Lobster. The Japanese name of the species is taka-ashi-gani (たかあしがに) which roughly translates to "tall-leg-crab" or "spider-crab".
9. Dana viperfish:
Dana viperfish are described as long,have needle-like-teeth and have hinged jaws. They are mostly found in the Mesopelagic zone also known as the Midnight zone. They can grow upto 30 cm (12 in).
It can perform photophores along the central side of its body and they most likely use it to camouflage as less than 1% of the sunlight reaches its habitat around 200 m (700 ft) deep from the sea level. Scientists found that they migrate up into more deep waters during the night to hunt and avoid predators. They mostly feed on other pelagic fishes and crustaceans.
10. Fangtooth:
Fangtooths look quite unapproachable and some would define it as disgusting for its excessive amount of large fang-like-teeth. But they are mostly small creatures reaching a maximum length of 16 cm (6.3 In).
Usually younger specimens live relatively close to the sea level around 200 to 2000 m (660 to 6560 ft) than fully grown adults, who usually live as deep as 5000 m (16,000 ft). People most of the time mistake them for other deep sea creatures like viperfish, anglerfish etc. They don't do quite well in captivity as they can't live longer than 3 or 4 months in aquariums.
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