Angels and devils are pteropods. Sea angels, or sea angels (Clione limacina), live mainly in cold waters northern seas, beyond the Arctic Circle. This is a circumpolar species, that is, living at both poles, both under the ice of the Arctic and off the coast of Antarctica. In the northern hemisphere, the number of its representatives is much larger. The angelfish leads a planktonic lifestyle, swimming in the water column, from the murky depths of a thousand or more meters to the very surface. It is helped to swim by wide, flattened wings - once upon a time, a long time ago, a crawling leg turned into them (hence the name of the group of mollusks - pteropods). Swimming in the water column and actively feeding, clyons quite quickly grow to their maximum size, which is only 4–5 centimeters. Afterwards, they begin to accumulate what they have eaten and digested in the form of subcutaneous fat drops, which is why a well-fed adult angel is dotted with small light dots.

Angelfish are extremely active predators, and their only prey is another pteropod - monkfish.

Klion's nutrition is one of its most amazing features. Angels are extremely active predators, and their only prey is another pteropod, Limacina helicina, which is called monkfish for its dark, almost black color. Compared to angels, devils are very tiny - the size of their shell rarely exceeds a few millimeters, on average only two or three. Angels swim serenely almost all the time, slowly flapping their wings. But as soon as a devil appears nearby, the head of the klion instantly splits in two, and six huge orange hooks turn out of it - buccal cones covered with small rough tubercles. At the same time, the Klion begins to frantically flap its wings and swim in circles. As soon as the unfortunate victim touches one of the buccal cones, the angel collapses them, and the little devil is squeezed, as if between the fingers of two hands. Inside the head, in the center, there is another pair of hook-shaped jaws hidden, as well as a radula - a special chitinous “grater” with teeth, which is used for grinding food. Almost all known mollusks have it. After the angel grabs the devil, he needs to turn the mouth of the shell in such a way as to pull out the food from there. Despite the fact that the Limacina shell is very thin and fragile, only a large angel can break it. To rotate the shell into a comfortable position, the angel unclenches the buccal cones for half a second, then contracts again, and so on several times; In these seconds, the devil tries to escape, but every time he is caught, without even having time to flap his wings. Finally, he turns the way the angel needs, and he begins to eat. Hard hooks of the jaws pull the soft body of the mollusk out of the shell, and the radula grinds it into a puree, which enters the esophagus into the large stomach. The process of eating the devil is far from fast, so the angel continues to swim calmly, holding its prey between the halves of its head. If the predator is still small, only a couple of times larger than its prey, then it looks very comical - it swims as if in a helmet, with a devil on its head, since there is no other way to hold the captive - when the prey is caught, the buccal cones are retracted . Angels are quite voracious: in a season, one individual eats up to five hundred devils! From time to time there are unusual outbreaks in the numbers of both devils and angels. There were cases when there were more than 300 angels per cubic meter of water. The density of devils at times also exceeds all reasonable limits, and the sea becomes like an oversaturated living broth, when at low tide hundreds and thousands of these small pteropods remain in each puddle. It is surprising that, according to all observations, except for devils, angels do not eat anything at all. But devils appear en masse in the sea for a very short period of time - only two to three weeks at the end of spring - after which they disappear. Scientific research showed that on fat reserves accumulated during active feeding, angels are able to live without food for three to four months, but what they eat the rest of the time is a mystery, as well as where they go. After all, after the influx of devils, many angels immediately appear, and then they simply disappear from the plankton and are found very rarely. Despite the fact that back in the 19th century angels were subjected to detailed anatomical studies, and for half of the 20th century their physiology was very seriously studied, complete life cycle of these creatures, from birth to death, is unknown to science. No one can still explain their sudden disappearance. It is believed that they go deep and spend most of the year there. Unfortunately, their life cycle is extremely difficult to trace, since the necessary observations require expensive manned underwater vehicles with photo and video cameras and a lot of time and effort. “Animals living in the water column are very poorly studied,” says BBS director Alexander Tsetlin. – The fact is that even if they can be kept for some time in marine aquariums, they are just surviving there. To learn something about their behavior, nutrition, vision and other senses, you need to study them in natural environment. That is, floating in the water with them, observing, photographing.” How do sea angels live and what do they do at great depths? BBS scientists find this mystery damn interesting and watch them from year to year.

Inside the head, in the center, there is another pair of hook-shaped jaws hidden, as well as a radula - a special chitinous “grater” with teeth, which is used for grinding food. Almost all known mollusks have it. After the angel grabs the devil, he needs to turn the mouth of the shell in such a way as to pull out the food from there. Despite the fact that the Limacina shell is very thin and fragile, only a large angel can break it.

To rotate the shell into a comfortable position, the angel unclenches the buccal cones for half a second, then contracts again, and so on several times; In these seconds, the devil tries to escape, but every time he is caught, without even having time to flap his wings. Finally, he turns the way the angel needs, and he begins to eat. Hard hooks of the jaws pull the soft body of the mollusk out of the shell, and the radula grinds it into a puree, which enters the esophagus into the large stomach.

The process of eating the devil is far from fast, so the angel continues to swim calmly, holding its prey between the halves of its head. If the predator is still small, only a couple of times larger than its prey, then it looks very comical - it swims as if in a helmet, with a devil on its head, since there is no other way to hold the captive - when the prey is caught, the buccal cones are retracted . Angels are quite voracious: in a season, one individual eats up to five hundred devils!

From time to time there are unusual outbreaks in the numbers of both devils and angels. There were cases when there were more than 300 angels per cubic meter of water. The density of devils at times also exceeds all reasonable limits, and the sea becomes like an oversaturated living broth, when at low tide hundreds and thousands of these small pteropods remain in each puddle.

It is surprising that, according to all observations, except for devils, angels do not eat anything at all. But devils appear en masse in the sea for a very short period of time - only two to three weeks at the end of spring - after which they disappear. Scientific studies have shown that on fat reserves accumulated during active feeding, angels are able to live without food for three to four months, but what they eat the rest of the time is a mystery, as well as where they go. After all, after the influx of devils, many angels immediately appear, and then they simply disappear from the plankton and are found very rarely.

Despite the fact that back in the 19th century angels were subjected to detailed anatomical studies, and for half of the 20th century their physiology was very seriously studied, the full life cycle of these creatures, from birth to death, is unknown to science. No one can still explain their sudden disappearance.

It is believed that they go deep and spend most of the year there. Unfortunately, their life cycle is extremely difficult to trace, since the necessary observations require expensive manned underwater vehicles with photo and video cameras and a lot of time and effort.

“Animals living in the water column are very poorly studied,” says BBS director Alexander Tsetlin. “The fact is that even if they can be kept for some time in marine aquariums, they only survive there. To learn something about their behavior, nutrition, vision and other senses, you need to study them in their natural environment. That is, floating in the water with them, observing, photographing.” How do sea angels live and what do they do at great depths? BBS scientists find this mystery damn interesting and watch them from year to year.

One of the most unusual inhabitants cold waters of the Arctic, subarctic Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. White dots on the angel’s body are fat droplets, reserves for the hungry period. It was once believed that these mollusks inhabit both hemispheres, but it turned out that angelfish in Antarctica are a different species - Clione antarctica.

A miniature, only 3–5 centimeters in size, translucent creature is a graceful swimmer, which is a pleasure to watch. Slowly flapping their wings, the angels seem to soar in the air. Looking at this flight, it is impossible to assume that the angelfish is an evolved ancient snail, descended from a common ancestor with all sorts of snails and slugs, like those crawling in your garden. Angel embryos, like snails, even have a true spiral shell that falls off quite quickly in the early stages. Angel wings are a modified crawling leg, an excellent evolutionary solution that allowed pteropods to explore a completely new niche for them - the thickness of the ocean. The angel flaps its wings along the same trajectory as the butterflies, that is, in a figure eight. Such complex type demonstrates movements high level development nervous system. Swimming is controlled by pedal ganglia - clusters nerve cells, which form something like a brain. This allows the angel to move quickly and masterfully in the water, which, in turn, contributes to effective hunting.

Yes, yes, despite angelic appearance, this is a merciless predator, and very selective. The fact is that adult sea angels and their later larvae specialize in eating monkfish - shellfish pteropods Limacina helicina. Devils are close relatives of angels, tiny five-millimeter animals with a fragile shell. If we describe them in one phrase, then these are swimming eared snails. angels is well studied and is a spectacle worthy science fiction films horror. Hidden in the head of the angels are six huge tentacles-hooks - buccal cones, dotted over the entire surface with small spines with a sticky secretion. As soon as the angel is in close proximity to potential food, its head opens into two halves, from which these same buccal cones turn out with lightning speed. The inversion and elongation of these tentacle-like structures occurs as follows. The angel creates muscle tension in the lower part of his body and literally collapses. Liquid from the space between internal organs(hemocoels) are forced under pressure into the central cavities of the buccal cones, causing them to inflate.

Flexible tentacles grab the victim's shell and literally stick to its surface. To start eating the devil, the angel needs to turn the shell with the mouth towards his mouth. To do this, he loosens his grip for a split second, the devil, who does not believe his luck, tries to escape, but the angel catches him again and squeezes him, and so on until the shell is in in the right position. At this time, “cutlery” extends from the angel’s head - jaws formed by bunches of hard chitinous hook-shaped bristles. By inserting them directly into the shell, the predator hooks the soft tissues of the prey and scrapes the devil out entirely. In the mouth of the angel, like other mollusks, there is a radula - a special chitinous grater that turns even the hardest food into pulp, and simply grinds the soft devil into puree. It can take an angel from 2 to 45 minutes to eat one devil. As soon as the predator has swallowed its prey, it discards the empty shell and is ready to swim in search of a new victim. The most successful hunters spend no more than two minutes capturing the next devil.

It is rare, but it happens that angels are not able to remove food from the shell. This happens, for example, when a frightened little devil very quickly hides in the farthest curl of the shell, and the predator does not reach it with its chitinous hooks. In such cases, a hungry angel is able to swim with a devil on his head for several hours. If there is not enough food nearby, another angel may try to take the hunter's fair-caught prey by grabbing the shell with buccal cones, or by pushing the opponent in the hope that he will release the devil himself. Battles end when the victim dies or is eaten by one of the competitors. In the rarest case, friendship wins, and the angels throw out the devil, numb with horror.

During a season, one angel can eat up to 500 devils. Such gluttony is caused by the need to stock up nutrients in the form of subcutaneous fat drops in order to live without food for those few months when their only food, devils, disappears from the plankton. Unlike adults, early angel veliger larvae feed on phytoplankton. However, already 2-3 days after the veliger undergoes metamorphosis and turns into a polytrochous larva - such a small funny barrel 0.3-0.6 mm in size with several corollas of cilia - the angel begins to feed on larvae monkfish. And the larger the hunter becomes, the larger the prey he can afford. Peak reproduction of sea angels occurs in early spring, when planktonic algae are abundant in Arctic waters.

It turns out that the battle between good and evil is taking place not only on earth, but also among the dark, deep waters of the ocean. Don't believe me? Are you familiar with the names angelfish and monkfish?

These are deep-sea mollusks (although there are also fish - but now we're talking about about mollusks with the same name). In the underwater kingdom, sea angels always defeat monkfish, or rather, eat them. This is such a funny “joke”, once conceived by Mother Nature. Sea angels are classified by scientists as a class gastropods. They are members of the order pteropods, which includes a family called sea angels. The genus that unites these mollusks has the same name (sea angel).

Besides his unusual name, the sea angel amazes with its beauty and is one of the most outlandish transparent animals. People first started talking about this mollusk in the 17th century; since then, scientists have studied the habits of the angelfish and described its appearance in some detail.

So what does a sea angel look like?

The sea angel is an almost mythical creature that lives in sea ​​water.

The body of the mollusk has an elongated shape, the length of the body ranges from 2 to 4 centimeters. There are tentacles on the head; the mollusk has four of them. The angel does not have a shell, nor does it have gills or a mantle cavity. The leg is almost absent, instead there are only a pair of small outgrowths (parapodia) similar to wings, and a certain formation near the head. These same parapodia give the mollusk its perfect unearthly beauty. They flutter gently in the water, like the wings of an angel.

The entire body of the animal is translucent, giving the angelfish a light, as if floating, appearance.

Where does the “divine creature” live?

Populations of angelfish inhabit the cold waters of the Arctic Ocean.

How does an animal behave in nature?

It is very rare to observe numerous accumulations of mollusks in one place. Researchers of these animals still ask the question: “For what purpose do sea angels all gather together?” But none of the scientists gave a definite answer; there are only assumptions that mollusks organize such “meetings” during the breeding season in order to mate.

Angelfish are deep-sea animals. Although, observing them, ichthyologists noticed that they were too great depth angels do not hunt for their usual monkfish, they do not feed on anything at all. And they do not die of hunger thanks to accumulated fat. Angels can easily survive in a state of “hunger strike” for several months. Sea angels do not swim very well, so during storms they are dropped to even greater depths - 300 - 400 meters.

The hunting of sea angels is interesting. They capture their prey - a monkfish - and literally scrape out all the soft tissue from it, so thoroughly that only one shell remains!

Eating angelfish

As already mentioned, the only food for these mollusks, namely for adult individuals, is other representatives of the order pteropods -. Although angelfish larvae feed on plankton.

Angel Clam Reproduction

The angelfish mollusk is a hermaphrodite. The breeding season continues throughout the year. But the most active months are considered to be May – June.

The fertilized angelfish lays eggs 24 hours after mating. Soon, little angels will hatch from this clutch, which will rise to the surface of the water and feed on zooplankton. But such an innocent lifestyle lasts only 3–4 days. What happens next? And then the larvae mature and become active eaters of monkfish.

Enemies of angelfish in nature, do they exist?

It turns out that yes! When shellfish spawn and a great number of them accumulate, they can become an attractive object for seabirds and toothless whales.

The depths of the World Ocean have become a refuge for thousands of amazing and unusual creatures. Science today knows only a small part of them. And one of them is unique creation- shellfish "Sea angel". And as you can see for yourself after reading this article, angels do not only live in heaven.

Shellfish "Sea Angel": appearance

The Latin name for this mollusk is Clione limacina, and it is one of the most unusual creatures inhabiting the cold waters of such oceans as the Arctic, Atlantic and Pacific. Previously, scientists believed that these mollusks live in both hemispheres, but later it turned out that in Antarctica they are a completely different species, or rather Clione antarctica.

The translucent miniature creature is a graceful swimmer; watching it, one gets the impression that it is performing a beautiful dance with leisurely flapping of its wings, as if soaring in the air.

Admiring this mesmerizing flight, it is difficult to imagine that the mollusk “Sea Angel” is an evolved ancient snail, its relatives are slugs and ordinary snails that you can find in your garden.

It is noteworthy that the embryos of these mollusks, like snails, have a real spiral shell, which simply falls off in the early stages of development. And the wings of an angel are just a crawling leg improved by evolution, allowing these unusual winged creatures to successfully master a completely new habitat - the thickness of the ocean.

Angels flap their wings, like butterflies, along the same trajectory - in a figure eight. This complex type of movement clearly demonstrates the very high level of development of the mollusk’s nervous system. Clusters of nerve cells - pedal ganglia - are responsible for swimming, forming a certain “organ” like the brain. It is this that allows the angelfish to masterfully and quickly move through the water column, which contributes to effective hunting.

Lifestyle

Despite its deceptive angelic appearance, this pteropod is a merciless predator that uses sophisticated tactics in hunting. The diet of adult mollusks, as well as their late larvae, is “ monkfish"-shell pteropods (lat. Limacina helicina). Devils are close relatives of angels, being tiny five-millimeter animals with a fragile shell. These eared swimming snails are desirable prey for sea angels.

The process of hunting devils is an exciting spectacle that is worthy of exciting horror films. Nature has equipped these creatures with the perfect murder weapon. In the head of the angels there are 6 hook-shaped tentacles - buccal cones, of enormous size, studded with small spines with a very sticky secretion. When the angelfish mollusk gets close to a potential victim, its head “splits” into two parts, from which giant tentacle hooks appear at lightning speed.

Marine and ocean depths famous for such bizarre representatives wildlife like giant isopods, monkfish and giant squid. However, there are still many amazing creatures at great depths, which have not received as much coverage, but are still worth seeing. Just don't be scared!

25. Mantis crab

This large, predatory stomatopod crustacean has the most complex eyes in the world. If a person can distinguish 3 primary colors, then the mantis crab can distinguish 12. Also, these animals perceive ultraviolet and infrared light and see different types polarization of light. During an attack, the mantis crab makes several fast strikes with its own feet, causing serious damage to the victim or killing it. Capable of striking with its claws with the force of a 22-caliber bullet, some particularly large specimens of mantis crabs are capable of breaking glass with one or a couple of blows to it.

23. Giant isopod

Giant isopods can reach 76 cm in length and weigh about 1.7 kg. They have a tough calcareous exoskeleton made up of overlapping segments and can roll into a “ball” for protection from predators. Usually carrion serves as food; they can live up to 5 years without food.

22. Frilled shark

A dangerous creature native to Cretaceous period. This shark hunts like snakes, bending its body and making a sharp lunge forward. Long and very mobile jaws allow large prey to be swallowed whole, while numerous rows of small and needle-sharp teeth prevent it from escaping.

21. Black Crookshanks

This fish is capable of swallowing prey 10 times heavier and twice as long as itself. Sometimes these fish swallow prey that they are unable to digest. The decomposition of the swallowed prey begins, and the accumulated gases cause the death of the predator and raise it to the surface of the water

20. Deep sea anglerfish

19. Holothurians

These sea ​​cucumbers They are unusual in that they never touch the seabed, but rather drift in the water. Holothurians feed on plankton and organic debris. The mouth of the holothurian is surrounded by a corolla of 10-30 tentacles, which serve to capture food, and leads into a spirally twisted intestine.

18. Tunicates

An underwater version of the Venus flytrap. In the waiting state, their hunting apparatus is straightened, but if a small animal swims there, the “lips” are compressed like a trap, sending the prey to the stomach. To lure prey, they use bioluminescence as bait.

17. Sea Dragon

This fish with a huge mouth lined with sharp, crooked teeth uses bioluminescence to lure prey. Having caught the victim, color sea ​​dragon darkens to camouflage itself from other predators and enjoy its prey.

16. Pacific viperfish

The mouth is armed with huge teeth protruding from the mouth. Luminous organs (photophores) are also scattered on the head and body, which help them hunt and distinguish their relatives. With the help of teeth, the victim is held tightly in the mouth and, when the jaws are closed, they are pushed into the esophagus, in the front part of which there are several curved spines. The long, pouch-like stomach of these fish can easily accommodate even large prey, which allows them to wait for the next successful hunt. Hauliodas eat approximately once every 12 days.

15. Swima

The most amazing representatives from polychaete worms. Worms are distinguished by the presence of small formations glowing with a greenish light, resembling droplets in shape. These tiny bombs can be thrown away, distracting the enemy in an emergency for several seconds, giving the worms a chance to escape.

14. Hell Vampire

A small deep-sea mollusk. The hellvampire usually measures about 15 cm in length. Adults have a pair of ear-shaped fins growing from the sides of the mantle, which serve as their main means of locomotion. Almost the entire surface of the mollusk’s body is covered with luminescent organs - photophores. The hellish vampire has very good control over these organs and is capable of producing disorienting flashes of light lasting from hundredths of a second to several minutes. In addition, it can control the brightness and size of the color spots.

13. Stargazers

They got their name from their upward-pointing eyes. They are the only perciformes known to produce strong (up to 50 V) electrical discharges. They usually lie on the bottom, buried almost entirely in the ground, and lie in wait for prey. Some lure it with a special vermiform appendage at the bottom of the mouth.