Fish that live at the bottom. These mysterious inhabitants of the ocean floor: deep-sea fish

underwater world mysterious and unique. It contains secrets that have not yet been solved by man. We invite you to get acquainted with the most unusual sea creatures, plunge into the unknown thickness water world and see her beauty.

1. Atoll Jellyfish (Atolla vanhoeffeni)

Extraordinary beautiful jellyfish Atolla lives at such depths where it does not penetrate sunlight. In times of danger, it can glow, attracting large predators. Jellyfish do not seem tasty to them, and predators eat their enemies with pleasure.

This jellyfish is capable of emitting a bright red glow, which is a consequence of the breakdown of proteins in its body. As a rule, large jellyfish- dangerous creatures, but you should not be afraid of the Atoll, because its habitat is where no swimmer can reach.

2. Blue Angel (Glaucus atlanticus)

This very tiny mollusk rightfully deserves its name; it seems to float on the water surface. To become lighter and stay at the very edge of the water, it swallows air bubbles from time to time.

These unusual creatures have an unusual body shape. They are blue above and silver below. It is not for nothing that nature has provided such camouflage - the Blue Angel remains unnoticed by birds and sea predators. A thick layer of mucus around the mouth allows it to feed on small poisonous inhabitants seas.

3. Harp sponge (Chondrocladia lyra)

This mysterious marine predator has not yet been sufficiently studied. The structure of its body resembles a harp, hence the name. The sponge is inactive. It clings to the sediment of the seabed and hunts by gluing small underwater inhabitants to its sticky tips.

The harp sponge covers its prey with a bactericidal film and gradually digests it. There are individuals with two or more lobes, which are connected in the center of the body. The more blades, the more food the sponge will catch.

4. Dumbo Octopus (Grimpoteuthis)

The octopus got its name because of its resemblance to the Disney hero, Dumbo the elephant, although it has a semi-gelatinous body of rather modest size. Its fins resemble elephant ears. He waves them around as he swims, which looks quite funny.

Not only the “ears” help to move, but also the peculiar funnels located on the octopus’ body, through which it releases water under pressure. Dumbo lives very great depth, so we don’t know much about him. Its diet consists of all kinds of mollusks and worms.

Octopus Dumbo

5. Yeti Crab (Kiwa hirsuta)

The name of this animal speaks for itself. A crab covered with white shaggy fur actually resembles Bigfoot. It lives in cold waters at such depths where there is no access to light, so it is completely blind.

These amazing animals grow microorganisms on their claws. Some scientists believe that the crab needs these bacteria to purify the water from toxic substances, others suggest that the crabs grow their own food on the bristles.

6. Short-snouted pipistrelle (Ogcocephalus)

This fashionable fish with bright red lips can't swim at all. Living at a depth of more than two hundred meters, it has a flat body covered with a shell and fin-like legs, thanks to which the short-snouted bat slowly walks along the bottom.

It obtains food using a special growth - a kind of retractable fishing rod with an odorous bait that attracts prey. The discreet coloring and spiked shell help the fish hide from predators. Perhaps this is the funniest animal among the inhabitants of the world's oceans.

7. Sea slug Felimare Picta

Felimare Picta is a species of sea slug that lives in Mediterranean waters. He looks very extravagant. The yellow-blue body seems to be surrounded by a delicate airy frill.

Felimare Picta, although a mollusk, does without a shell. And why does he need her? In case of danger, the sea slug has something much more interesting. For example, acidic sweat that is released on the surface of the body. It's really bad luck for anyone who wants to treat themselves to this mysterious mollusk!

8. Flamingo tongue clam (Cyphoma gibbosum)

This creature is found on the western coast of the Atlantic Ocean. Having a brightly colored mantle, the mollusk completely covers its plain shell with it and thus protects it from negative influence marine organisms.

Like an ordinary snail, the Flamingo's Tongue hides in its shell in case of impending danger. By the way, the mollusk received this name due to its bright color with characteristic spots. It prefers poisonous gongonaria as food. While eating, the snail absorbs the poison of its prey, after which it becomes poisonous itself.

9. Leafy sea dragon (Phycodurus eques)

The sea dragon is a true virtuoso of mimicry. It is all covered with “leaves”, which help it appear invisible against the backdrop of the underwater landscape. It is interesting that such abundant vegetation does not help the dragon move at all. Only two tiny fins located on its chest and back are responsible for its speed. The leaf dragon is a predator. It feeds by sucking prey into itself.

Dragons feel comfortable in the shallow waters of warm seas. And these sea inhabitants are also known as excellent fathers, because it is the males who bear the offspring and take care of them.

10. Salps (Salpidae)

Salps are invertebrates sea creatures, which have a barrel-shaped body, through the transparent shell of which internal organs are visible.

IN ocean depths animals form long chains-colonies, which are easily broken even by a slight wave shock. Salps reproduce by budding.

11. Piglet squid (Helicocranchia pfefferi)

This strange and little-studied underwater creature resembles “Piglet” from the famous cartoon. The completely transparent body of the piglet squid is covered age spots, the combination of which sometimes gives him a cheerful look. Around the eyes there are so-called photophores - organs of luminescence.

This mollusk is leisurely. It's funny that the piggy squid moves upside down, which is why its tentacles look like forelocks. He lives at a depth of one hundred meters.

12. Ribbon moray eel (Rhinomuraena guaesita)

This underwater inhabitant quite unusual. Throughout its life, the ribbon moray eel is capable of changing sex and color three times, depending on the stages of its development. So, when the individual is still immature, it is colored black or dark blue.

Seas and oceans occupy more than half the area of our planet, but they are still shrouded in mysteries for humanity. We strive to conquer space and are looking for extraterrestrial civilizations, but at the same time, only 5% of the world's oceans have been explored by humans. But this data is enough to be horrified by what creatures live deep underwater, where sunlight does not penetrate.

The chauliod family includes 6 species of deep-sea fish, but the most common of them is the common hauliod. These fish live in almost all waters of the world's oceans, with the exception of cold waters. northern seas and the Arctic Ocean.

Chauliodas got their name from the Greek words “chaulios” - open mouth, and “odous” - tooth. Indeed, these relatively small fish(about 30 cm in length) teeth can grow up to 5 centimeters, which is why their mouth never closes, creating a creepy grin. Sometimes these fish are called sea vipers.

Howliods live at depths from 100 to 4000 meters. At night they prefer to rise closer to the surface of the water, and during the day they descend into the very abyss of the ocean. Thus, during the day, fish make huge migrations of several kilometers. With the help of special photophores located on the hauliod's body, they can communicate with each other in the dark.

On dorsal fin The viper fish has one large photophore, with which it lures its prey directly to its mouth. After which, with a sharp bite of needle-sharp teeth, the hauliods paralyze the prey, leaving it no chance of salvation. The diet mainly includes small fish and crustaceans. According to unreliable data, some individuals of hauliods can live up to 30 years or more.

The long-horned sabertooth is another fearsome deep-sea predatory fish, living in all four oceans. Although the saber tooth looks like a monster, it grows to a very modest size (about 15 centimeters in length). The head of the fish with a large mouth occupies almost half the length of the body.

The long-horned sabertooth got its name due to its long and sharp lower fangs, which are the largest in relation to body length among all fish known to science. The terrifying appearance of the sabertooth earned it the unofficial name - “monster fish”.

Adults can vary in color from dark brown to black. The younger representatives look completely different. They are light gray in color and have long spines on their heads. The sabertooth is one of the deepest-sea fish in the world; in rare cases, they descend to depths of 5 kilometers or more. The pressure at these depths is enormous, and the water temperature is about zero. There is catastrophically little food here, so these predators hunt for the first thing that gets in their way.

The size of the deep-sea dragon fish absolutely does not fit with its ferocity. These predators, which reach a length of no more than 15 centimeters, can eat prey two or even three times its size. The dragon fish lives in tropical zones The world's oceans at a depth of up to 2000 meters. The fish has a large head and a mouth equipped with many sharp teeth. Like the Howlyod, the dragonfish has its own bait for prey, which is a long whisker with a photophore at the end, located on the fish's chin. The hunting principle is the same as for all deep-sea individuals. Using a photophore, the predator lures the victim to the closest possible distance, and then with a sharp movement inflicts a fatal bite.

The deep-sea anglerfish is rightfully the ugliest fish in existence. There are about 200 species of anglerfish, some of which can grow up to 1.5 meters and weigh 30 kilograms. Due to its creepy appearance and bad character, this fish was nicknamed the monkfish. live deep sea anglerfish everywhere at a depth of 500 to 3000 meters. The fish has a dark brown color, a large flat head with many spines. The devil's huge mouth is studded with sharp and long teeth curved inward.

Deep-sea anglerfish have pronounced sexual dimorphism. Females are tens of times larger than males and are predators. Females have a rod with a fluorescent appendage at the end to attract fish. Anglerfish spend most of their time on the seabed, burrowing into sand and silt. Due to its huge mouth, this fish can completely swallow prey that is twice its size. That is, hypothetically, a large individual anglerfish could eat a person; Fortunately, there have never been such cases in history.

Probably the most strange inhabitant the depths of the sea can be called the bagmouth or, as it is also called, the pelican-shaped largemouth. Due to its abnormally huge mouth with a bag and a tiny skull in relation to the length of the body, the bagmouth looks more like some kind of alien creature. Some individuals can reach two meters in length.

In fact, bagmouths belong to the class of ray-finned fish, but these monsters do not have too many similarities with the cute fish that live in warm sea backwaters. Scientists believe that appearance These creatures changed many thousands of years ago due to their deep-sea lifestyle. Bagmouths have no gill rays, ribs, scales or fins, and the body is oblong with a luminous appendage on the tail. If not big mouth, then the bagmouth could easily be confused with an eel.

Bagworms live at depths from 2000 to 5000 meters in three world oceans, except the Arctic Ocean. Since there is very little food at such depths, bagmouths have adapted to long breaks in eating, which can last more than one month. These fish feed on crustaceans and other deep-sea brethren, mainly swallowing their prey whole.

The elusive giant squid, known to science as Architeuthis dux, is the world's largest mollusc and is thought to reach a length of 18 meters and weigh half a ton. To date, a live giant squid has never been captured by humans. Until 2004, there were no documented sightings of live giant squid at all, and general idea about these mysterious creatures It was based only on the remains washed ashore or caught in fishermen’s nets. Architeuthis live at depths of up to 1 kilometer in all oceans. Besides gigantic size these creatures have the largest eyes among living creatures (up to 30 centimeters in diameter).

So in 1887, the largest specimen in history, 17.4 meters long, washed up on the shores of New Zealand. In the next century, only two large dead representatives of the giant squid were discovered - 9.2 and 8.6 meters. In 2006, Japanese scientist Tsunami Kubodera managed to capture on camera a living female 7 meters long. natural environment habitat at a depth of 600 meters. The squid was lured to the surface by a small bait squid, but an attempt to bring a live specimen on board the vessel was unsuccessful - the squid died from multiple injuries.

Giant squids are dangerous predators, and their only natural enemy is adult sperm whales. There are at least two described cases of fight between squid and sperm whale. In the first, the sperm whale won, but soon died, suffocated by the giant tentacles of the mollusk. The second battle took place off the coast South Africa, then the giant squid fought with the baby sperm whale, and after an hour and a half fight, he still killed the whale.

Giant isopod, known to science, like Bathynomus giganteus, is the largest species of crustacean. The average size of a deep-sea isopod ranges from 30 centimeters, but the largest recorded specimen weighed 2 kilograms and was 75 centimeters long. In appearance, giant isopods are similar to woodlice, and similar giant squid are a consequence of deep-sea gigantism. These crayfish live at a depth of 200 to 2500 meters, preferring to bury themselves in silt.

The body of these creepy creatures is covered with hard plates that act as a shell. In case of danger, crayfish can curl into a ball and become inaccessible to predators. By the way, isopods are also predators and can feast on a few small deep-sea fish and sea cucumbers. Powerful jaws and durable armor make the isopod a dangerous opponent. Although giant crayfish love to feast on live food, they often have to eat the remains of shark prey that fall from upper layers ocean.

The coelacanth or coelacanth is a large deep-sea fish whose discovery in 1938 became one of the most important zoological finds of the 20th century. Despite its unattractive appearance, this fish is notable for the fact that for 400 million years it has not changed its appearance and body structure. In fact, this unique relict fish is one of the oldest living creatures on planet Earth, which existed long before the appearance of dinosaurs.

Coelacanth lives at a depth of up to 700 meters in the waters of the Indian Ocean. The length of the fish can reach 1.8 meters and weigh more than 100 kilograms, and the body has a beautiful blue tint. Since coelacanth is very slow, it prefers to hunt at great depths, where there is no competition with more fast predators. These fish can swim backwards or belly up. Despite the fact that the meat of the coelcanth is inedible, it is often the target of poaching among local residents. Currently ancient fish is in danger of extinction.

The deep sea goblin shark, or goblin shark as it is also called, is the most poorly studied shark to date. This species lives in the Atlantic and Indian Ocean at a depth of up to 1300 meters. The largest specimen was 3.8 meters long and weighed about 200 kilograms.

The goblin shark got its name due to its eerie appearance. Mitsekurina has movable jaws that move outward when bitten. The goblin shark was first accidentally caught by fishermen in 1898, and since then 40 more specimens of this fish have been caught.

Another relict representative of the sea abyss is a one-of-a-kind cephalopod-detritus feeder, which has external resemblance, both with squid and octopus. The hellish vampire received its unusual name thanks to its red body and eyes, which, however, depending on the lighting, can be blue color. Despite their terrifying appearance, these strange creatures They grow only up to 30 centimeters and, unlike other cephalopods, they eat exclusively plankton.

The body of the hellish vampire is covered with luminous photophores, which create bright flashes of light that scare away enemies. In case of exceptional danger, these small mollusks turn their tentacles along the body, becoming like a ball with spikes. Hellish vampires live at depths of up to 900 meters, and can thrive in water with an oxygen level of 3% or lower, critical for other animals.

Deep waters are the lowest level of the ocean, located more than 1800 meters from the surface. Because only a small amount of light reaches this level, and sometimes no light at all, it was historically believed that there was no life in this layer. But in fact, it turned out that this level was simply teeming with different forms of life. It turned out that with each new dive to this depth, scientists miraculously find interesting, strange and outlandish creatures. Below are ten of the most unusual of them:

10. Polychaete Worm
This worm was caught this year from the ocean floor at a depth of 1,200 meters off the north coast of New Zealand. Yes, it may be pink, and yes, it may reflect light in the form of a rainbow - but despite this polychaete worm can be a ferocious predator. The "tentacles" on its head are sensory organs designed to detect prey. This worm can twist its throat in order to grab a smaller creature - like an Alien. Fortunately, this type of worm rarely grows more than 10cm. They also rarely come across our path, but are often found near hydrothermal vents on the ocean floor.

9. Squat Lobster

These unique lobsters, which look quite scary and resemble headcrabs from the game Half-Life, were discovered on the same dive in which the polychaete worm was discovered, but at a greater depth, approximately 1400 meters from the surface. Despite the fact that squat lobsters were already known to science, they had never encountered this species before. The squat lobsters live at depths of up to 5,000 meters and are distinguished by their large front claws and compressed bodies. They can be detritivores, predators, or herbivores that feed on algae. Not much is known about individuals of this species; in addition, representatives of this species were found only near deep-sea corals.

8. Carnivorous Coral or Sponge-Harp Coral

Most corals receive nutrients from photosynthetic algae that live in their tissues. This also means that they must live within 60 meters of the surface. But not this species, also known as the Harp Sponge. It was discovered 2,000 meters off the coast of California, but only this year scientists confirmed that it is carnivorous. Shaped like a candelabra, it stretches along the bottom to increase in size. It catches small crustaceans with tiny Velcro-like hooks and then stretches a membrane over them, slowly digesting them with chemicals. In addition to all its oddities, it also reproduces in a special way - “sperm packets” - see those balls at the end of each appendage? Yes, these are packets of spermatophores, and from time to time they swim away to find another sponge and reproduce.

7. Fish of the Cynogloss family or Tonguefish (Tonguefish)

This beauty is one of the species of tongue fish that are usually found in shallow estuaries or tropical oceans. This specimen lives in deep waters, and was caught from the bottom earlier this year in the western part of Pacific Ocean. Interestingly, some tonguefish have been observed near hydrothermal vents spewing sulfur, but scientists have not yet figured out the mechanism that allows this species to survive in such conditions. Like all bottom-dwelling tonguefish, both of its eyes are located on the same side of its head. But unlike other members of this family, its eyes look like sticker eyes or scarecrow eyes.

6. Goblin Shark

The goblin shark is a truly strange creature. In 1985 it was discovered in the waters off east coast Australia. In 2003, more than a hundred individuals were captured in northeastern Taiwan (reportedly after an earthquake). However, other than sporadic sightings of this nature, little is known about this unique shark. This is a deep-sea, slow-moving species that can grow up to 3.8 meters in length (or even more - 3.8 is the largest that has ever been seen by humans). Like other sharks, the goblin shark can sense animals with its electro-sensing organs, and has several rows of teeth. But unlike other sharks, the goblin shark has both teeth adapted for catching prey and teeth adapted for cracking the shells of crustaceans.

If you're interested in watching her catch prey with that mouth of hers, here's a video. Imagine an almost 4-meter shark rushing at you with such jaws. Thank goodness they (usually) live so deep!

5. Flabby Whalefish

This brightly colored specimen (why need bright colors when colors are useless if you live where light can't penetrate) is a member of the unfortunately named "soft-bodied whalefish" species. This specimen was caught off the east coast of New Zealand, at a depth of more than 2 kilometers. In the lower part of the ocean, in the bottom waters, they did not expect to find many fish - and in fact it turned out that the soft-bodied whale-like fish did not have many neighbors. This family of fish lives at a depth of 3,500 meters, they have small eyes, which are actually completely useless given their habitat, but they have a phenomenally developed lateral line that helps them sense the vibrations of the water.

This species also does not have ribs, which is probably why the fish of this species look “soft-bodied”.

4. Grimpoteuthys (Dumbo Octopus)

The first mention of Grimpoteuthys appeared in 1999, and then, in 2009, it was filmed. These cute animals (for octopuses, anyway) can live about 7,000 meters below the surface, making them the deepest-dwelling species of octopus known to science. This genus of animals, so named because of the flaps on either side of the bell-shaped heads of its members and never seeing sunlight, may number more than 37 species. Grimpoteuthys can hover above the bottom using jet propulsion, based on a siphon-type device. At the bottom, grimpoteuthis feeds on snails, mollusks, crustaceans and crustaceans that live there.

3. Vampire Squid

The Hellish Vampire (Vampyroteuthis infernalis name literally translates as: vampire squid from hell) is more beautiful than terrible. Although this species of squid does not live at the same depths as the squid that ranks first on this list, it still lives quite deep, to be exact at a depth of 600-900 meters, which is much deeper than the habitat of ordinary squid. In the upper layers of its habitat there is some amount of sunlight, so it has evolved the most big eyes(in proportion to the body, of course) than all other animals in the world, in order to capture as much light as possible. But what is most amazing about this animal is its defense mechanisms. In the dark depths where he lives, he releases a bioluminescent "ink" that blinds and confuses other animals while he swims away. This works amazingly well precisely when the waters are not lit. Typically, it can emit a bluish light that, when viewed from below, helps it camouflage itself, but if spotted, it turns around and wraps itself in its black-colored robe... and disappears.

2. Eastern Pacific Black Ghost Shark

Found in deep water off the coast of California in 2009, this mysterious shark belongs to a group of animals known as chimeras, which may be the oldest group of fish alive today. Some believe that these animals, which evolved from sharks about 400 million years ago, only survived because they lived at such great depths. This particular species of shark uses its fins to "fly" through the water, and the males have a pointed, bat-like, retractable sex organ that protrudes from its forehead. It is most likely used to stimulate the female or attract her closer, but very little is known about this species, so its exact purpose is unknown.

1. Colossal Squid

The colossal squid truly deserves its name, measuring 12-14 meters in length, which is comparable to the length of a bus. It was first "discovered" in 1925 - but only its tentacles were found in the stomach of the sperm whale. The first complete specimen was found near the surface in 2003. In 2007, the largest known specimen, measuring 10 meters in length, was caught in Antarctic waters Ross Sea, and is currently on display at the National Museum of New Zealand. The squid is believed to be a slow ambush predator that feeds big fish and other squids attracted by its bioluminescence. Most scary fact What is known about this species is that sperm whales have been found to have scars that were left by the hooked tentacles of the colossal squid.  

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Cascade Creature

Strange new look deep sea jellyfish? Or maybe a floating whale placenta or a piece of garbage? Until the beginning of this year, no one knew the answer to this question. Heated discussions about this creature began after this video was posted on YouTube - but marine biologists have identified this creature as a species of jellyfish known as Deepstaria enigmatica.

Incredible facts

Perhaps we should stop looking for aliens on other planets, since there are enough people living in the ocean amazing and strange life forms, more like aliens.

4. Goblin Shark

The goblin shark is rarely seen on the surface as it primarily lives at depths from 270 to 1300 meters.

It is easily recognized by its elongated and flattened muzzle with retractable jaws and teeth as sharp as fingernails. These sharks reach 3-4 meters in length, but can grow more than 6 meters.

5. Sea spider

If you thought there were no spiders in the ocean, you were very mistaken. However, sea spiders have no relation to terrestrial spiders, despite their external similarity. These are not spiders or even arachnids, but chelicerates - a subtype arthropods.

They live in the seas, especially in the Mediterranean and Caribbean, as well as in the North and South Arctic Oceans. There is more 1300 species sea spiders , ranging in size from 1-10 mm to 90 cm.

6. Pompeii worm

Pompeian worms ( Alvinella pompejana) live in very hot water near hydrothermal vents of the Pacific Ocean and can withstand extreme temperature and pressure.

7. Drop fish

Drop fish ( Psychrolutes marcidus) although it is considered the ugliest creature in the world, looks like a completely normal fish, being in its normal environment at a depth of 600-1200 meters.

At this depth, the pressure is 120 times higher than at the surface. Unlike other fish, it does not have a swim bladder, skeleton or muscles, which allows it to swim at depth. If you raise it to the surface, it acquires saggy and sad looking.

Sea animals

8. Bobbitt polychaete worm

The Australian purple polychaete worm, also known as the Bobbitt worm, can grow up to 3 meters long.

It hunts its prey in the most diabolical way, burrowing into the seabed, leaving a small part of its body on the surface and waiting for the victim. Using its antennae, the worm senses passing prey, quickly captures it with its strong muscular throat, and splits a fish in two.

9. Jellyfish "flower cap"

These jellyfish, with beautiful multi-colored tentacles emanating from a translucent umbrella, feed on small fish and sometimes each other.

They can increase or decrease in size depending on food supplies.

10. Rag-picking seahorse

These slow-moving fish are related to seahorses. They rely mainly on their appendages, which resemble seaweed, thanks to which rag pickers camouflage and protect themselves from predators.

11. Siphonophores

Siphonophores are animal colonies, consisting of individual representatives called zooids, connected by a common trunk. Such a colony can reach several meters in length.

12. Corona jellyfish

This atoll jellyfish or crown jellyfish is very similar to a UFO, because, like most jellyfish, it does not have a digestive, respiratory, circulatory or central nervous system.

She lives in the deep 1000 - 4000 meters where sunlight does not penetrate. Being scared, this jellyfish "connects" bioluminescent blue lights, which spin like flashing lights on a police car.

13. Pike blenny

These fish usually hide inside shells on the seabed. These are small (up to 30 cm), but fierce fish with a large mouth and aggressive behavior.

When two pike blennies fight for territory, they press their widened mouths against each other as if in a kiss. This helps them determine who is bigger.

14. Glass squid

There is about 60 types glass squid or crachniid. Most of them, as the name suggests, are transparent, which helps them camouflage.

15. Pteropods

Pteropods are small sea snails which swim in the water on two wing-shaped legs. They are born male, but become female when they reach a large size.

16. Sea cucumber

These floating deep sea cucumbers are transparent, so you can see their digestive system.

Deep sea inhabitants

17. Squid Worm

Scientists first discovered this deep-sea creature in 2007. It was nicknamed the squid worm because of its 10 tentacle-like appendages on the head, each of which is longer than the entire body. He uses them to collect food.

18. Lobster's menacing claws

This type of lobster Dinochelus ausubeli, which means "formidable claws", was discovered at depth 300 meters in the Philippines in 2007. It reaches a length of only 3 cm, and its toothy claws are its only frightening feature.

19. Sea anemone Venus flytrap

This sea anemone Actinoscyphia aurelia, was named after Venus flytrap plants due to their similar shape and feeding method. She folds her disk in half, trapping food and digesting it with her mouth located in the center of the disk.

1. Common chauliod (Chauliodus sloani)

The Chauliod family includes 6 species of deep-sea fish, but the most common of them is the common hauliod. These fish live in almost all waters of the world's oceans, with the exception of the cold waters of the northern seas and the Arctic Ocean.

Chauliodas got their name from the Greek words “chaulios” - open mouth, and “odous” - tooth. Indeed, these relatively small fish (about 30 cm in length) have teeth that can grow up to 5 centimeters, which is why their mouth never closes, creating a creepy grin. Sometimes these fish are called sea vipers.

On the dorsal fin of the viper fish there is one large photophore, with which it lures its prey directly to its mouth. After which, with a sharp bite of needle-sharp teeth, the hauliods paralyze the prey, leaving it no chance of salvation. The diet mainly includes small fish and crustaceans. According to unreliable data, some individuals of hauliods can live up to 30 years or more.

2. Long-horned sabertooth (Anoplogaster cornuta)

The longhorned sabertooth is another fearsome deep-sea predatory fish that lives in all four oceans. Although the saber tooth looks like a monster, it grows to a very modest size (about 15 centimeters in length). The head of the fish with a large mouth occupies almost half the length of the body.

The long-horned sabertooth got its name due to its long and sharp lower fangs, which are the largest in relation to body length among all fish known to science. The terrifying appearance of the sabertooth has earned it the unofficial name “monster fish.”

3. Dragonfish (Grammatostomias flagellibarba)

The size of the deep-sea dragon fish absolutely does not fit with its ferocity. These predators, which reach a length of no more than 15 centimeters, can eat prey two or even three times its size. Dragon fish live in tropical zones of the World Ocean at depths of up to 2000 meters. The fish has a large head and a mouth equipped with many sharp teeth. Like the Howlyod, the dragonfish has its own bait for prey, which is a long whisker with a photophore at the end, located on the fish's chin. The hunting principle is the same as for all deep-sea individuals. Using a photophore, the predator lures the victim to the closest possible distance, and then with a sharp movement inflicts a fatal bite.

4. Deep sea anglerfish (Lophius piscatorius)

The deep-sea anglerfish is rightfully the ugliest fish in existence. There are about 200 species of anglerfish, some of which can grow up to 1.5 meters and weigh 30 kilograms. Due to its creepy appearance and bad character, this fish was nicknamed the monkfish. Deep-sea anglerfish live everywhere at depths from 500 to 3000 meters. The fish has a dark brown color, a large flat head with many spines. The devil's huge mouth is studded with sharp and long teeth curved inward.

5. Bagworm (Saccopharyngiformes)

Probably the strangest inhabitant of the deep sea can be called the bagmouth or, as it is also called, the pelican-shaped largemouth. Due to its abnormally huge mouth with a bag and a tiny skull in relation to the length of the body, the bagmouth looks more like some kind of alien creature. Some individuals can reach two meters in length.

In fact, bagmouths belong to the class of ray-finned fish, but these monsters do not have too many similarities with the cute fish that live in warm sea backwaters. Scientists believe that the appearance of these creatures changed many thousands of years ago due to their deep-sea lifestyle. Bagmouths have no gill rays, ribs, scales or fins, and the body is oblong with a luminous appendage on the tail. If it were not for the large mouth, the bagmouth could easily be confused with an eel.

6. Giant squid (Architeuthis dux)

The elusive giant squid, known to science as Architeuthis dux, is the world's largest mollusc and is thought to reach a length of 18 meters and weigh half a ton. To date, a live giant squid has never been captured by humans. Until 2004, there were no documented cases of encountering a living giant squid, and the general idea of these mysterious creatures was formed only from the remains washed ashore or caught in fishermen’s nets. Architeuthis live at depths of up to 1 kilometer in all oceans. In addition to their gigantic size, these creatures have the largest eyes among living creatures (up to 30 centimeters in diameter).

So in 1887, the largest specimen in history, 17.4 meters long, washed up on the shores of New Zealand. In the next century, only two large dead representatives of the giant squid were discovered - 9.2 and 8.6 meters. In 2006, Japanese scientist Tsunami Kubodera managed to capture on camera a living female 7 meters long in her natural habitat at a depth of 600 meters. The squid was lured to the surface by a small bait squid, but an attempt to bring a live specimen on board the vessel was unsuccessful - the squid died from multiple injuries.

Giant squids are dangerous predators, and their only natural enemy is adult sperm whales. There are at least two described cases of fight between squid and sperm whale. In the first, the sperm whale won, but soon died, suffocated by the giant tentacles of the mollusk. The second fight took place off the coast of South Africa, when a giant squid fought with a baby sperm whale, and after an hour and a half fight, it still killed the whale.

7. Giant isopod (Bathynomus giganteus)

The giant isopod, known to science as Bathynomus giganteus, is the largest species of crustacean. The average size of a deep-sea isopod ranges from 30 centimeters, but the largest recorded specimen weighed 2 kilograms and was 75 centimeters long. In appearance, giant isopods are similar to woodlice, and like the giant squid, they are a consequence of deep-sea gigantism. These crayfish live at a depth of 200 to 2500 meters, preferring to bury themselves in silt.

8. Latimeria chalumnae

The coelacanth, or coelacanth, is a large deep-sea fish whose discovery in 1938 became one of the most important zoological discoveries of the 20th century. Despite its unattractive appearance, this fish is notable for the fact that for 400 million years it has not changed its appearance and body structure. In fact, this unique relict fish is one of the oldest living creatures on planet Earth, which existed long before the appearance of dinosaurs.

Coelacanth lives at a depth of up to 700 meters in the waters of the Indian Ocean. The length of the fish can reach 1.8 meters and weigh more than 100 kilograms, and the body has a beautiful blue tint. Since coelacanth is very slow, it prefers to hunt at great depths, where there is no competition with faster predators. These fish can swim backwards or belly up. Despite the fact that the meat of the coelcanth is inedible, it is often the target of poaching among local residents. Currently, the ancient fish is in danger of extinction.

9. Goblin shark (Mitsukurina owstoni)

The deep sea goblin shark, or goblin shark as it is also called, is the most poorly studied shark to date. This species lives in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans at depths of up to 1300 meters. The largest specimen was 3.8 meters long and weighed about 200 kilograms.

10. Hell Vampire (Vampyroteuthis infernalis)

Another relict representative of the sea abyss is a one-of-a-kind cephalopod-detritus feeder, which has an external resemblance to both a squid and an octopus. The hellish vampire got its unusual name thanks to its red body and eyes, which, however, depending on the lighting, can be blue. Despite their terrifying appearance, these strange creatures grow to only 30 centimeters and, unlike other cephalopods, eat exclusively plankton.