Documentary

10 Amazing Sea Creatures You Didn’t Know About

By greenexpander ⋅ October 11, 2007 ⋅  Email This Post ⋅  Print This Post ⋅ Post a comment

The world’s oceans cover two thirds of Earth’s surface. There are many animal species virtually unheard of since the depth were they are located it makes it impossible for people to document them. The deep sea is about 78% of the planet’s inhabitable volume, fascinating people all over the world about rare or unknown sea creatures. Take a dive beneath the foamy waves and take a look at some of the most amazing sea animals:

10.Ambon scorpionfish - This type of fish is native to the Indian and pacific oceans is preferred by many since it makes an excellent photo subject. The Ambon is a predator, killing its prey by ambush. Their venom is very poisonous and can even kill a human being if not treated in time.

9. Goblin shark - Another shark makes the list of the most peculiar sea animals. The Goblin shark is extremely rare, found only in deep water off Japan, South Africa, or Portugal. It has a very unusual snout, very pointed and flat. It is found in depths of about 3,940 feet (1,200 m) and believed to be harmless. Scientists think the snout’s main purpose is to help the shark find food in deep, dark waters. There is little to be said about the shark since it has rarely been seen by humans and little data is recorded.

8. Viper fish - Dracula’s descendant in the sea, the fish can be easily recognized by the large mouth and long fang-like teeth. The Viperfish occurs in tropical and temperate marine waters world-wide. Since they live in deep waters, their bodies have light organs called photophores that serve as a lure for the fish they prey upon. Their stomach can stretch so that fish larger than them can fit in. They also lack pigment, so you can easily see through their skin and their eyes are large, to capture as much light as possible.

7. Gulper Eel - With a huge mouth and large tail used to catch its prey, this eel is one of the most bizarre looking creatures in the sea. Their wide jaws and elastic stomach make it possible for the eel to swallow fish bigger than them. They live at about 10,000 feet beneath the sea and can grow up to 80 cm in length. Usually found in all of the world’s oceans at depths ranging from 3000 to 6000 feet, this eels have been brought to surface in fishing nets with their long tails tied into several knots.

6. Pygmy SeaHorse - This is the smallest sea horse in the world, reaching at maturity the size of a grain of rice. It is tiny, rarely reaching 15mm in length. There are very few things known about this seahorse, but scientists discovered that they eat the same zooplankton as the seafans that they inhabit. Still, seahorse numbers are diminishing, since they are used to treat sexual dysfunctions or consumed in Asia, roughly 45 tons of dried seahorses annually

5. Salps - Probably more common than the rest of the other sea animals in the list, the tube-like creatures have a very important role in fighting the negative effects of global warming. It has been discovered that salps feed on the carbon-dioxide soaked algae from the oceans. Scientists that made this discovery are planning on increasing the algae-eating salp population in the world’s oceans by boosting its food supply. According to their estimations, sequester nearly a third of manmade CO2 annually.

4. Chimaera - You probably remember the name from Greek mythology, Chimera is a fire-breathing female monster with a lion’s head, a goat’s body and a serpent’s tail. Today, Chimera is a deep-ocean relative of sharks and ray, being often referred to as a ghost shark. Even though it is not as threatening as its fellow shark, the chimaera has a spine on the back that is highly toxic. A drop of venom can kill a man, but this case is highly unlikely since they live at depths of 8,000 feet.

3. Pistol Shrimp - With a modified claw, this shrimp generates a burst of sound and air aimed at paralyzing and killing its prey, consisting of fish or smaller shrimps. When colonies of the shrimp snap their claws, they can even hide submarines from a sonar. The snap generates bubbles that collapse causing a loud bang; scientists have measured the temperature inside the bubble, proving to be at least 10,000 degrees Kelvin (18,000 degrees Fahrenheit). See video!

2. Frilled shark - Found at a depth of around 600 meter, this type of shark is one of the most primitive, bearing close resemblance to the extinct Paleozoic sharks. The fish is rarely seen because it remains thousands of feet beneath the water. The teeth are tri-cuspid, meaning that they have three points. Employees of the Awashima Marine Park officials, caught a member of the species and transported it to the park’s dolphin pen, but sadly died afterwards. See video!

1. Box Jellyfish - Described as one of the deadliest of all sea creatures, this type of jellyfish is famous for having an amazing defensive mechanism: it has 60 tentacles, with a length of up to 10 feet, packed with thousands of stinging cells that are activated when they touch the human skin. They deliver such an excruciating pain that the person attacked goes into shock and drowns. Their venom is considered to be among the most deadly in the world, containing toxins that attack the heart, nervous system, and skin cells. See video!