Organisms that exist in extreme environments show unique and peculiar appearances. The deep ocean is one of the most unexplored areas on our planet and is home to some of the most unusual life forms. Here are the top six most amazing deep ocean creatures.
6Gigantocrypis
Gigatocrypis belongs to the Cyprinidae family and is a unique-looking creature that used to inhabit the ocean at a depth of 1300 meters. The round-shaped Gigatocrypis appears transparent and contains small seed pods inside it. The creature is only one inch in size and has an orange-red color. Its thin antenna-like body helps it swim and find food in the deep ocean.
Similar to eyes, the parabolic reflectors help them detect predators, a natural gift for a species living in a place without sunlight. The female Gigatocrypis has an egg chamber in which the eggs and embryos develop. The young ones look like miniature adults. However, adult males are rare compared to adult females.
5Giant Isopod
Giant isopods are the largest of their kind in the world and are found in the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans at depths of up to 2400 feet. They range in size from 12 to 16 inches and have a similar appearance to insects. Giant isopods have thick and sturdy shells, that help them protect their segmented bodies.
They feed on anything that comes from the ocean’s surface, including the body parts of dead fish and other sea creatures. When they encounter a predator, they quickly transform into a ball-like shape, and their strong shield helps them in such situations. Their morphology resembles that of their terrestrial relative, the woodlouse, making them a perfect example of deep-sea gigantism.
4Predatory Tunicate
The predatory tunicate is one of the amazing deep sea creatures belonging to the tunicate family that inhabits the deep ocean. It is commonly found on the walls of deep-sea canyons at a depth of approximately 1100 meters. The tunicate’s transparent body enables it to hide from predators and makes it easier to catch prey.
The creature has a large mouth that takes in seawater, filters out food, and discharges the water through another siphon. This mouthlike hood quickly closes whenever a prey drifts inside to trap it. Once captured, the predatory tunicate keeps its trap shut until it’s ready for another prey. The predatory tunicate is a stationary creature and waits for food to come to them.
3Goblin Shark
Goblin Sharks, or vampire sharks, are unique creatures that prefer to live in the ocean’s depths. They are not observable in light since they prefer living in darkness. Their natural habitats are the Gulf of Mexico, Pacific, and Atlantic Oceans. Estimating the goblin shark population is almost difficult as we can’t see them in daylight.
It is their unusual head shape that sets them apart from other shark species. They have long, protrusible mouths with slender teeth that give them a devil-like appearance. To detect prey and predators, they emit noise in the deep ocean and use the reflection to locate them. Goblin sharks have large livers, suggesting they do not need to eat frequently.
2Bigfin Squid
Bigfin squids belong to the Magnapinna family and prefer living in deep oceans at a depth of 4500 meters. They have large fins and long appendages, which gives them a unique appearance. The largest bigfin squid discovered so far was approximately 6.4 meters long, with arms and tentacles measuring 6.1 meters, making it 20 times the length of its body.
These squids have unusual fins covering 90% of their total body length and can hold their body at a 90-degree angle from another side. Scientists believe the creature’s long arms have microscopic suckers that help it capture edible organisms on the deep ocean floor.
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1Frilled Shark
Frilled sharks are the most amazing deep ocean creatures that have been around for 150 million years, making them one of the oldest species on Earth. They were discovered in the Pacific Ocean at a depth of 1500 meters. They are known as “living fossils” and are one of the few remaining species of sharks from their family.
Frilled sharks can grow up to 5 feet long and have sharp teeth in 25 rows. Their unique large mouth is completely different from other shark family members and has a long, cylindrical body. When frilled sharks are hunting for prey, they can bend their bodies, making them look like snakes. They are active predators that capture and swallow a potential prey whole, even if it is quite large.
