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Behold the blue glaucus (Glaucus atlanticus), a tiny sea slug that packs a powerful punch! Growing only about 1.2 in (3 cm) long, it’s also known as the blue dragon, and it specializes in eating venomous siphonophores—like the Portuguese man o' war. It then repurposes the toxic chemicals from its prey as a defense for itself. The blue glaucus’ sting has been known to induce nausea, vomiting, and agonizing pain. Their venom can remain active even after death!
Photo: drmattnimbs, CC BY-NC 4.0, iNaturalist
Basket Star
Gorgonocephalus caputmedusae
The Basket Star is a strange yet elegant creature that lives in the deep ocean. It resembles a flesh white ball with gnarled and swirling branches. It thrives in locations with strong currents. Its numerous arms move slowly and wrap around prey. They are one of my favorite animals from the Echinodermata phylum.
Photo credit
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00227-005-0032-3
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gorgonocephalus
Brittle Stars
Asteroschema Ajax
Brittle stars are in the phylum Enchinodermata and are closely related to sea stars. They have long stringy arms and small podia on the bottoms of their body. They also have a hydrostatic skeleton and have a complex water vascular system. When attacked, they will abandon their arm to confuse predators and make a hasty escape. The photo above is a deep sea brittle star that lives in coral reefs.
Photo credit: https://species.wikimedia.org/wiki/Asteroschema_ajax
Scaly Dragonfish
Stomias Boa
The Scaly Dragonfish is about 32cm long and found at depths between 200 to 1500m. The long purple barbel on its chin is used to lure in prey. When the pery gets close enough, it swings its jaws forward swallowing the prey whole.
Photo credit: https://alchetron.com/Stomias
Video on the fish: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=69&v=9oB_61aI2iQ&feature=emb_title
Squarenose Helmetfish
Scopelogadus beanii
The Squarenose Helmetfish is found between 800m to 4000m in the ocean. It received this unique name due to its scales reminding scientists of an armored helmet worn by medieval knights. It also has unusual holes around its face, and the white strands covering its face are sensory canals.
Photo credit: https://www.vistaalmar.es/especies-marinas/peces-extranos/449-que-peces-mas-extranos.html
Gulper Eel
Saccopharynx sp.
The Gulper Eel is known for its massive jaws, which are capable of swallowing prey whole. It’s stomach is also able to expand twice its size. It is found only in the deep see about 2000 to 3000 meters in depth.
Photo credit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRO0IjSoHGA
https://marinebiochemistrygc2018.weebly.com/deep-sea-adaptations
Glasshead Grenadier
Hymenocephalus italicus
The Glasshead Grenadier is a small deep sea fish named due to a transparent memberane that covers its head. It has fragile head bones, and it feeds on surface copepods and crustaceans. This fish is located between 100 m to 2000 m in the ocean.
Photo credit: https://www.fishbase.se/summary/1720
https://www.futura-sciences.com/planete/photos/oceanographie-abysses-ces-merveilles-profondeurs-40-photos-686/ocean-grenadier-vitrier-hymenocephalus-italicus-poisson-abysses-4541/
Deep-sea white anglerfish
Haplophryne mollis
The Deep-sea white anglerfish is a ghostly white creature found at depths between 1000m to 4000m. The strange bulge between its eyes is a bioluminescent lure. The main fish above is a female and the tiny fish attached to her body are males. Since it is difficult to find mates in the deep ocean, male fish latch onto the female with hooked teeth. Even though the male fish are parasitic, they are eventually reduced to pockets of sperm that are used for reproduction. For all you fellas out there that have a rough time with the ladies, be thankful that you are at least not a bag of gonads floating through the ocean.
Photo credit: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/440297301041956897/
https://news.cgtn.com/news/3d3d414d3559444f7a457a6333566d54/share_p.html
Threadfin Snailfish
Careproctus longifilis
The Threadfin Snailfish resembles a prehistoric tadpole that is ghostly white. The holes in its face are large sensory pores that help them detect changes in the ocean. It is often found at depths between 1900 to 2997 meters.
Photo credit: https://www.timeout.com/singapore/museums/creatures-of-the-deep
Pram Bug
Phronima sedentaria
The Pram Bug is a deep sea amphipod that is located between 200 to 1000m in the ocean. It has a translucent exoskeleton and can see primarily blue light. It is also is contained in a hollowed out barrel that is used for protection and to house babies. The image above is a female pram bug carrying its young.
Photo Credit:https://ocean.si.edu/ocean-life/invertebrates/phronima-female-and-young
Marrus orthocanna
Marrus orthocanna is a deep sea siphonophore found at depths between 400m to 2200m. It has a colony of gas-filled zooids on the top used for locomotion. It also has a long, bright orange tentacles on the bottom. Marrus orthocanna are viscous predators and consume small crustceans and copepods.
Photo credit: http://www.arcodiv.org/watercolumn/cnidarian/Marrus_orthocanna.html
Hula Skirt Siphonophore
Physophora hydrostatica
The Hula Skirt Siphonophore a deep sea siphonophore that is found between 700 m to 1000m. It is made of a colony of hundreds tiny zooids. The top portion of the colony holds the swimming bells, which allow the colony to move. The bottom of the siphonophore holds the orange ‘hula skirt,’ which is full of stinging tentacles.
Photo link : https://twitter.com/montereyaq/status/1162068535331311617?lang=da
Periphyllopsis braueri
The Periphyllopsis braueri is a tiny, deep sea jellyfish that is only 6 cm in diameter. It is red-chocolate in color, and it has eight gonads. Furthermore, it is found at depths between 600m to 1000m.
Photo credit: https://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/19gulfofalaska/logs/aug2/aug2.html
Fangtooth
Anoplogaster cornuta
The Fangtooth is a ferocious predator that is found at depths between 600 m to 5000 m. It has large, needle like teeth that are used to catch prey. It also has extremely sensitive sensory canals underneath of its scales used to detect movement in the water. Furthermore, their preferred prey are crustaceans and fish.
Photo credit: https://pixels.com/featured/fangtooth-fish-dant-fenolio.html
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/845902742487789950/
https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg23231020-400-up-close-with-the-giant-teeth-of-the-deepsea-fangtooth/
Pigbutt worm
Chaetopterus pugaporcinus
The Pigbutt worm or the flying buttocks of the sea is spotted floating between 965 m to 1300 m in the deep ocean. It is actually a polychaete (polly-keet) worm species that burrows in the ground as an adult, and floats around the ocean as a baby. The worm feeds itself : by creating a balloon of mucus; collecting particles on the mucus; and then consuming the particles. It is the rarest and thickest worm in the deep ocean, for only ten have been spotted.
Photocredit: https://roaring.earth/pigbutt-worm/
Black-devil anglerfish
Melanoncetus johnsoni
The Black-devil anglerfish is a skilled predator that lurks in the darkness. It uses a bioluminescent organ, a top its head, to lure unsuspecting prey into its jaws. Even though these fish are terrifying to look at, they are about the size of a grape fruit. To save energy, they remain immobile in the water, yet they can detect even the slightest vibrations. Since finding a mate is hard at this depth, male fish will attach themselves to a female and slowly dissolve into her tissue; so she is able to use the sperm the male provides at any time. In addition, this is the fish that tried to eat Marlin and Dory in “Finding Nemo.”
Photo credit: https://underthevastblueseas.tumblr.com/post/40882487364/this-female-black-devil-anglerfish-with-her-flabby
https://www.pinterest.fr/pin/574631233709001328/
Googly-eyed glass squid
Teuthowenia pellucida
The Googly eyed squid is a rare oddity that is found in the southern hemisphere. It has a large, spherical head that is filled with water and teeny, tiny tentacles that help propel it through the water. If it comes across a predator, it deflates its head and draws its tentacles into its cavity. On the other hand, it may also fill the cavity with water to increase its size, and intimidate the predator. If all fails, it will ink and try to escape through the darkness. Furthermore, baby squids can be found at the surface (0-600m); then slowly migrate downwards as they mature into adults (1600-2500m).
Photo credit: http://animaladay.blogspot.com/2011/07/googly-eyed-glass-squid.html
https://faunafabula.tumblr.com/post/5999675353/googly-eyed-glass-squid-teuthowenia-pellucida
Jewel Squid
Histioteuthis heteropsis
The Jewel Squid is covered in color-changing photophores that resemble sparkling gem stones. They also have a light-red coloration and are about 20 cm in length. They display a unique behavioral adaptation called diel migration. During the day, they stay at depths around 400-1200 m, and then surface during night (0-400m). This behavioral pattern is designed maximize feeding at night, and avoid predators during the day. The primary predator of the Jewel Squid is the Sperm Whale.
Photo credit: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/722827808920240115/
https://twitter.com/theoctonation/status/1168516522270253056
Piglet Squid
Helicocranchia pfefferi
The Piglet Squid is a very small and delicate, transparent squid. It is found at depths between 400 to 1000 m. It has an unique siphon that is used for jet propulsion and it resembles a pig muzzle. The young piglet squids tend to live close to the surface, and steadily migrates downward as they grow. This behavior is called ontogenetic migration.
Photo credit: http://photo.cctv.com/2019/07/23/PHOAKMEBh8xJRaHXEUIGx8kE190723.xml
https://www.ourbreathingplanet.com/banded-piglet-squid/
Glass Octopus
Vitreledonella richardi
The Glass Octopus spend its entire life in the midwater section of the ocean and found at depths between 200m to 2000m. Even though it has no protection from predators, it achieves perfect transparency. The only part of the Glass Octopus that is visible is its digestive gland. However, the digestive gland is placed vertically to minimize detection. In addition, I find this octopus to be super cute!
Photo credit: https://www.mynumer.com/forums/topic/499/invisible-animals/view/post_id/859
Black- eyed squid
Gonatus onyx
The Black-eyed Squid is roughly over one foot (35 am) and is found at depths as deep as 2500m. The female Black-eyed Squid works fiercely to protect her babies, by carrying around a patch of egg for six to nine months. When the eggs hatch, 2000 to 3000 babies are released into the ocean. However, this makes her vulnerable to predators.
Photocredit: http://tolweb.org/Gonatus+onyx/19769
Blacksnout Seasnail
Paralipparis copei copei
The Blacksnout Seasnail may not look like a snail, but it does have a slimy, gelatinous substance that covers its body. It can be found at depths between 200 m to 1692 m, and adults grow up to be 17 cm in size (approximately 6.5 in). It also has an elongated body that resembles an eel. Furthermore, it can be seen rolling itself in a loop; this behavior is a defensive posture that makes it appear like a jelly. In the darkness, predators tend to avoid the Blacksnout Seasnail because its often mistaken as a hunter due to its appearance and behavior.
Giant Bell Jelly
Scrippsia pacifica
The Giant Belly Jelly has 256 tentacles attached to a gelatinous bell-shaped base. Like most cnidarians, the Giant Belly Jelly uses specialized stinging cells called nematocysts to catch its prey. When fish and other prey swim into its tentacles, the sensory projection on the cnidocyte (cell that holds the nematocysts) is activated. Then the nematocysts and barb are released, hitting the vulnerable prey and releasing a toxin into the prey’s body. The Giant Bell Jelly is found at 400 m in the ocean. It is related to the jellyfish, but it is categorized as a Hydrozoa (similar to the Portuguese- man-o-war)
https://vimeo.com/42551565
Photo Credit: https://www.pinterest.cl/pin/467107792572034837/
https://courses.lumenlearning.com/ivytech-bio1-1/chapter/phylum-cnidaria/
Vampire Squid
Vampyroteuthis infernalis
Even though the Vampire Squid is named after a notorious monster, this gentle creature does not live up to its name. It is only a foot long and occupies depths between 650m to 1500m in the deep ocean. Unlike other squids, it has reduced musculature and collects particles in the water column. However, it is capable of huge bursts of speeds. It uses bioluminescence to confuse both predators.
Photo credit: https://ocean.si.edu/ocean-life/invertebrates/vampire-squid-hell
Sea Angel
Cliopsis krohni
The Sea Angel is a tiny snail that is only 4 cm in length and found at depths as deep as 1500 m. Even though it is small, it is a viscous predator. It hunts other midwater snails using a structure called a radula. Unlike other snails, the Sea Angel’s mouth is located on top of its head. It also uses swimming “wings” to propel through the water.
Photo Source: http://seaslugsofhawaii.com/species/Cliopsis-krohni-a.html
Spookfish
Winteria telescopa
The Spookfish’s eyes act as a telescope and are designed to maximize light in the deep ocean. Its eyes contain rod cells that help distinguish between ambient light and bioluminescent light. This adaptation helps avoid predators and catch prey.
Picture Credit: https://www.natureplprints.com/deep-sea/deep-sea-fish-winteria-telescopa-15230734.html