Deep sea life forms. The most incredible deep sea fish on earth

Our Earth is 70% water and most of these vast water (including underwater) expanses remain poorly explored. Therefore, it is not at all surprising that the most amazing and strange representatives of the animal world live in the depths of the sea. Today in our article we will talk about the most incredible deep-sea fish of the Mariana Trench and other ocean depths. Many of these fish were discovered to the human eye relatively recently, and many of them amaze us people with their incredible and even fantastic appearance, structural features, habits and way of life.

Bassogigas - the deepest sea fish in the world

So, meet bassogigas - a fish that is the absolute record holder for deep-sea habitat. Bassogigas was first caught at the bottom of a trench near Puerto Rico at a depth of 8 km (!) from the research ship John Eliot.

Bassogigas.

As you can see, by appearance our deep-sea record holder differs little from ordinary fish, although in fact, despite the relatively typical appearance, its habits and way of life have still been little studied by scientific zoologists, because conducting research at such a great depth is a very difficult task.

Blob fish

But it’s hard to blame our next hero for being “ordinary”; meet the drop fish, which in our opinion has the strangest and most fantastic appearance.

Like an alien from outer space, isn't it? The drop fish lives on the deep ocean floor near Australia and Tasmania. The size of an adult representative of the species is no more than 30 cm. In front of it there is a process reminiscent of our nose, and on the sides there are, respectively, two eyes. The blob fish does not have developed muscles and is somewhat similar in its way of life - it swims slowly with its mouth open, waiting for its prey, which is usually small invertebrates, to be nearby. After this, the drop fish swallows the prey. She herself is inedible and, moreover, is on the verge of extinction.

And here is our next hero - a sea bat, which in appearance does not even look like a fish.

But, nevertheless, he is still a fish, although he cannot swim. The batfish moves along the seabed, pushing off with its fins, which are so similar to legs. The pipistrelle bat lives in the warm, deep waters of the world's oceans. The largest representatives of the species reach 50 cm in length. Bats are predators and feed on various small fish, but since they cannot swim, they lure their prey with a special bulb growing directly from their heads. This bulb has a specific smell that attracts small fish, as well as worms and crustaceans (they also go to food for our hero), while the bat itself sits patiently in ambush and as soon as potential prey is nearby, it suddenly grabs it.

Anglerfish - deep sea fish with a flashlight

The deep-sea angler fish, which also lives in the depths of the famous Mariana Trench, is especially notable for its appearance, thanks to the presence of a real flashlight fishing rod on its head (hence its name).

The angler's flashlight rod is not only for beauty, but also serves the most practical purposes; with its help, our hero also lures prey - various small fish, although due to his large appetite and the presence of sharp teeth, the angler does not hesitate to attack and to larger representatives of the fish kingdom. An interesting fact: anglers themselves often become victims of their particular gluttony, since having grabbed a large fish, due to the structural features of their teeth, they can no longer release the prey, as a result of which they themselves choke and die.

But back to his amazing biological flashlight, why does it glow? In fact, the light is provided by special luminous bacteria that live with the anglerfish in close symbiosis.

In addition to its main name, the deep-sea angler fish also has others: “sea devil”, “ angler“, because in its appearance and habits, it can easily be classified as a deep-sea monster fish.

The barrel eye perhaps has the most unusual structure among deep-sea fish: a transparent head through which it can see with its tubular eyes.

Although the fish was first discovered by scientists back in 1939, it still remains poorly studied. It lives in the Bering Sea, off the west coast of the USA and Canada, as well as off the coast of northern Japan.

Giant amoebas

American oceanographers 6 years ago discovered living creatures at a record depth of 10 km. - giant amoebas. True, they no longer belong to fish, so among fish the primacy is still occupied by bassogigas, but it is these giant amoebas that are the absolute record holders among living creatures living on greatest depth- the bottom of the Mariana Trench, the deepest known on Earth. These amoebas were discovered using a special deep-sea camera, and research into their life continues to this day.

Deep sea fish video

And in addition to our article, we invite you to watch an interesting video about 10 incredible creatures Mariana Trench.

The seas and oceans are home to several million species amazing creatures. So rich biological diversity truly amazing, because underwater you can find inhabitants of all colors, shapes and sizes. Some of them seem creepy and dangerous, while others delight in their beauty. In this selection you will find some of the most spectacular sea ​​creatures. No depths of space can yet compare with the beauty hidden in the depths of the Earth’s oceans, and it’s time to see it for yourself!

25. Tangerine fish

This colorful fish lives in tropical waters in the west Pacific Ocean. The mandarin duck is a small elongated coral fish up to 6 cm long. This animal gained fame precisely for its rich color and unusual shape, which is why it is sometimes even called the “psychedelic tangerine.” It is very popular as an aquarium pet, but is extremely picky when kept in captivity and often dies of hunger, refusing to eat store-bought food.

24. Ceriantharia

Here is a coral polyp that lives in various parts of the world, mainly in subtropical waters. As a larva, ceriantharia usually lives right inside the plankton, and, having matured, it prefers to burrow into the ground and hunts using its mouth end with many sensitive tentacles. This animal comes in many different fluorescent shades and color combinations, which is why it is considered a popular aquarium pet.

23. Flamingo tongue or thick tsifoma


Photo: Laszlo Ilyes / flickr

Widely distributed among the reefs of the Caribbean and Atlantic Oceans, the flamingo's tongue is a brightly colored mollusk that feeds on poisonous polyps. When a tsifoma absorbs the poison of its prey, it itself becomes toxic, but this does not threaten it with death.

22. Blue Tan


Photo: Tewy/wikimedia

One of 70 species of surgeonfish, the blue tan lives in coastal waters, on coral reefs and among stones or algae along coastline from New York to Brazil and even found as far east as Ascension Island. The fish is famous for its spines, which resemble a surgical scalpel, which is why this species got its unusual name.

21. Mantis Shrimp


Photo: prilfish / flickr

This crustacean lives in warm waters Pacific and Indian oceans, and is rightfully considered one of the most attractive and colorful species of underwater animals. This shrimp has very unusual and extremely complex eyes. The mantis crab sees in the optical, ultraviolet and infrared spectrum, and is also capable of converting polarized light, in which it is assisted by millions of light-sensitive cells.

20. French angelfish or scalar


Photo: Brain Gratwicke / flickr

Angelfish are found in the west Atlantic Ocean, in the Strait of Mexico and in the Caribbean Sea. This amazing tropical fish is easy to distinguish from other inhabitants of the underwater kingdom by its dark color with bright yellow stripes.

19. Leaf sea ​​Dragon or rag-picker seahorse


Photo: lecates/flickr

This delightful creature is found in the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean off the Australian coastline. The favorite habitat of the leafy (sometimes deciduous) sea dragon is coral reefs and shallow waters, where it is warm enough, but not too hot, and there are all the conditions for camouflage during hunting and to hide from predators. The rag-horse grows up to 20 cm in length, and is in danger of being destroyed due to industrial waste and poaching - it has become too popular among aquarium enthusiasts.

18. Sea Spider

Sea spiders are in no way related to terrestrial ones, and are much more simple form life. These small marine arthropods live in almost all parts of the world and in most seas. In the world they are found almost as often as their land namesakes.

17. Formosa jellyfish or flower cap jellyfish


Photo: Chris Favero / flickr

This animal is very similar to the common jellyfish, but in fact it belongs to the class of hydroid invertebrates, while the jellyfish belongs to the scyphoid cnidarians. The flower-cap jellyfish is found in the western Pacific Ocean off the coastal waters of Japan. The beauty of the Formosa is both captivating and dangerous, because it is better not to get to know it better, because this animal can sting very painfully.

16. Harlequin crab


Photo: Bernard Dupont / flickr

The harlequin crab (Lissocarcinus laevis) has caught our attention with its amazing color and is most often found near the coral polyps of coastal areas or among the rocky reefs of the Indo-Pacific region. It is noteworthy that last pair his legs have fused into a single fin.

15. Banggai cardinal fish


Photo: Bernard Dupont / flickr

This charming fish lives in warm tropical waters and is easily recognized by its silver color with vertical black stripes. Unfortunately, the cardinal is an endangered species, and today its habitat has narrowed to the coastal waters of the Indonesian island of Banggai.

14. Spotted bracken


Photo: Brian Gratwicke / flickr

The flat, disc-shaped body of this impressive ray reaches up to 3 meters in width, making it the largest of the eagle rays, with the exception of the giant one. sea ​​devil(4 – 4.5 m). The spotted eagle ray is very active and swims long distances in its life, hunting marine invertebrates and small fish.

13. Clownfish


Photo: Ritiks/wikimedia

She is an orange amphiprion, she is also an anemonefish. The clown anemone is famous for its white and orange striped color, and is rightfully considered one of the most recognizable corals. Amphiprion grows up to 11 cm in length, and its favorite habitat is sea anemones, a group of coral polyps. In order to successfully hide from predators among the stinging tentacles of sea anemones, the clown fish reproduces the composition of the mucus of the polyp and enters into a symbiotic relationship with this species of sea cnidarians.

12. Harlequin shrimp


Photo: Chad Ordelheide/wikimedia

The harlequin shrimp is a popular aquarium pet. This arthropod is native to the tropical waters of the Indian and Pacific oceans and is easily recognized by its white body with large light blue spots. Male harlequin shrimp are smaller than females of their species.

11. Blue Dragon


Photo: Sylke Rohrlach / flickr

Blue dragon is a species gastropods and a representative of the order nudibranch gastropods (snails). It is small in size and grows only 3 cm in length. The blue dragon is found in many temperate and tropical seas.

10. Discus fish


Photo: Biotopica, criadero de peces disco / Wikimedia

One of the most beautiful tropical fish in the world lives in the Amazon River basin in South America. The expressive shape and bright color of the discus have become the reason for its great popularity among aquarium enthusiasts. Among the people, discus even received the nickname “king of aquariums”.

9. Sea anemone Venus flytrap


Photo: NOAA Photo Library / flickr

Nicknamed after its namesake plant, this sea anemone deserves this comparison because it has a similar digestive mechanism. The marine Venus flytrap is a large deep-sea polyp that hunts by capturing prey in its “mouth” as it swims into a living “trap.” The bright anemone scares off predators, but is great for attracting the smallest underwater inhabitants.

8. Royal Starfish


Photo: Julie Worthy Photography

Here is one of the most outstanding sea stars, living at a depth of 20-30 m in the mid-continental shelf in the western Atlantic Ocean. The starfish is a carnivore and feeds on mollusks, which it catches with its ray arms, throwing the prey directly into its mouth.

7. Slug of the species Berghia Coerulescens


Photo: Wikimedia

The shellless sea snail Berghia Coerulescens is a species of sea slug that lives in the central and western Mediterranean and the northern Atlantic Ocean. This underwater animal of a charming color grows up to 7 cm in length, and has so far been little studied by biologists.

6. Zebra Lionfish


Photo: Alexander Vasenin / wikimedia

It is also called zebra fish or striped lionfish. The zebra lionfish lives on the reefs and rocky crevices of the Indo-Pacific region, although it has recently begun to be found in the tropical waters of other oceans around the world. In some countries they are eaten, but striped lionfish much better known among aquarium enthusiasts than among gourmets.

5. Short-faced seahorse


Photo: Hans Hillewaert / wikimedia

The short-snouted seahorse is an inhabitant of the Mediterranean and northern waters Atlantic Ocean. This animal is medium in size and grows up to 13 cm in length. The Mediterranean seahorse loves muddy shallow waters, estuaries and thickets seaweed.

4. Lagoon triggerfish or triggerfish


Photo: Wikimedia

This remarkable tropical fish native to the Indo-Pacific region and prefers to hide on reefs. The lagoon triggerfish is also sometimes called the Picasso triggerfish, and in Hawaii locals call it "humuhumunukunukuapuaa." Did you read everything without hesitation?

3. Green sea turtle


Photo: Brocken Inaglory / wikimedia

The green or soup turtle lives in tropical and subtropical coastal waters around the world. This is a large and heavy animal with a wide and smooth shell. The green turtle deservedly received the title of the world's largest turtle, since some representatives of this species weigh up to 320 kg.

2. Nudibranch Phyllidia Babai


Photo: Nick Hobgood/wikimedia

This nudibranch species of sea slug is distinctively colored and is found in the Pacific waters of Papua New Guinea, South Korea and Australia.

1. Crown of thorns starfish


Photo: Jon Hanson/flickr

This cute bottom dweller of the Indo-Pacific region feeds on coral reefs. Despite its attractive appearance, this starfish is considered a serious pest due to its gluttony, and poses a great danger especially to the Great Barrier Reef. For humans, this animal is also not best friend, because his injections are painful and quite toxic. crown of thorns it happens very different colors from deep red to orange, green or shades of blue.

The underwater world is 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 sunlight does not penetrate. 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 are 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 sea creatures.

3. Harp sponge (Chondrocladia lyra)

This mysterious one sea ​​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 at very great depths, 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 Marine life, 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 with pigment spots, the combination of which sometimes gives it a cheerful appearance. 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.

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 can reflect light like a rainbow - but despite this, the 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 seen 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 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


Goblin shark is true 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 octopus species 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 see 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 upper layers Its habitat contains some amount of sunlight, so it has evolved the largest eyes (in proportion to its body, of course) than any other animal 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 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. 


+ Bonus
Cascade Creature

A strange new species of 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.