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There are mysterious creatures who live in the depths of the ocean. The most incredible deep sea inhabitants

Seas and oceans are the cradle of life on Earth. According to some theories, all life on the planet originated in water. The sea resembles a huge metropolis, where everything lives according to its own laws, everyone takes his place and performs very important function. If this order, which has developed into a harmonious mosaic, is disrupted, then this city will cease to exist. Therefore, it is important to know about the riches of the animal world. Find out who the sea inhabitants are, photos with the names of the most common species and Interesting Facts You can read more about their lives below.

All living creatures inhabiting the sea are divided into several categories:

animals (mammals);
fish;
algae and plankton;
deep-sea fauna;
snakes and turtles.

There are animals that are difficult to classify into a specific group. For example, sponges or sponges.

Marine mammals

Scientists have discovered more than 125 species of sea-dwelling mammals. They can be divided into three main groups:

Walruses, seals and seals (order pinnipeds).
Dolphins and whales (order cetaceans).
Manatees and dugongs (order of herbivores).
Sea otters (or otters).

The first group is one of the most numerous (more than 600 million individuals). They are all predators and eat fish. Walruses are very large animals. Some individuals reach a weight of 1.5 tons and grow up to 4 m in length. Given their size, the agility and flexibility of walruses is amazing; they move easily on land and in water. Due to the special structure of the pharynx, they can for a long time spend in the sea and will not drown, even if you fall asleep. Thick skin Brown the walrus becomes lighter with age, and if you manage to see a pink, even almost white, walrus, you should know that he is about 35 years old. For these individuals, this is already old age. The walrus is not confused with a seal only thanks to their distinctive feature- tusks. Measurements of some of the largest tusks showed almost 80 cm in length and a weight of about 5 kg. The walrus's front fins end in fingers - five on each paw.

Seals live in the Arctic and Antarctic, so they can withstand extreme low temperatures(up to - 80˚С). Most of them do not have external ears, but they hear very well. Seal fur is short but thick, which helps the animal move underwater. It seems that seals on land are clumsy and defenseless. They move with the help of their forelimbs and abdomen; their hind legs are poorly developed. However, they move briskly in the water and swim excellently.

Fur seals are very voracious. They eat 4 - 5 kg of fish per day. Leopard seal- a subspecies of seals - can catch and eat other small seals or penguins. The appearance is typical of most pinnipeds. Seals are much smaller than their fellow cats, so they crawl on land using all four limbs. The eyes of these sea inhabitants are beautiful, but it is known that they see poorly - myopia.

Dolphins and whales are related to each other. Dolphins are one of the most unusual creatures on the planet. Their distinctive features:

The absence of ears, nose, small eyes and at the same time a unique echolocation that allows you to accurately determine the location of objects in the water.
A bare, streamlined body, without signs of fur or scales, the surface of which is constantly renewed.
Voice and rudiments of speech, allowing dolphins to communicate with each other in a school.

Whales are giants among mammals. They feed on plankton or small fish and breathe through a special hole called a “blowhole.” During exhalation, a fountain passes through it humid air from the lungs. Whales move in the water with the help of fins, the size of which differs from different types. The blue whale is the largest animal that ever lived on Earth.

The most popular types of sea fish

Second largest group sea inhabitants includes the following types:

Cod (blue whiting, cod, navaga, hake, pollock, pollock and others).
Mackerel (mackerel, tuna, mackerel and other fish).
Flounder (flounder, halibut, dexist, embassicht, etc.).

Herring (Atlantic menhaden, Atlantic herring, Baltic herring, Pacific herring, European sardine, European sprat).

Garfish (garfish, medaka, saury, etc.).
Sea sharks.

The first species lives in the seas of the Atlantic Ocean, comfortable conditions for them are 0 ˚ C. Its main thing is external difference- mustache on the chin. They live mainly on the bottom, feeding on plankton, but there are also predatory species. Cod is the most numerous representative of this subspecies. It reproduces in large numbers - about 9 million eggs per spawning. It is of great commercial importance, since meat and liver have a high fat content. Pollock is a long-lived member of the cod family (lives 16 - 20 years). Lives in cold waters, is semi deep sea fish. Pollock is caught everywhere.

Mackerels do not lead a bottom-dwelling lifestyle. Their meat is valued for its high nutritional value, fat content and a large number of vitamins

In flounders, the eyes are located on one side of the head: right or left. They have symmetrical fins and a flattened body.

Herring fish are pioneers among commercial fish. Distinctive features– no or very small teeth, and almost all have no scales.

Sargan-like fish are elongated in shape with long, sometimes asymmetrical jaws.

The shark is one of the largest marine predators. Whale shark- the only one that feeds on plankton. Unique abilities sharks - sense of smell and hearing. They can smell a smell from several hundred kilometers away, and their inner ear is capable of detecting ultrasound. Powerful weapon sharks have sharp teeth with which they tear the victim’s body into pieces. One of the main misconceptions is the idea that all sharks are dangerous to humans. Only 4 species pose a danger to people - bull shark, white shark, tiger shark, and whitetip shark.

Moray eels are marine predators from the eel family, whose bodies are covered with poisonous mucus. Outwardly they are very similar to snakes. They practically cannot see, they navigate in space by smell.

Algae and plankton

This is the most numerous form of life. There are two types of plankton:

Phytoplankton. It feeds by photosynthesis. Basically it's algae.
Zooplankton (tiny animals and fish larvae). Eats phytoplankton.

Plankton includes algae, bacteria, protozoa, crustacean larvae, and jellyfish.

Jellyfish are one of the oldest creatures on Earth. Their exact species composition unknown One of the largest representatives is the jellyfish " Lion's mane"(tentacle length 30 m). The “Australian wasp” is especially dangerous. Small size looks like transparent jellyfish- about 2.5 cm. When a jellyfish dies, its tentacles can sting for several more days.

Deep sea fauna

There are a great many inhabitants of the seabed, but their sizes are microscopic. These are mainly the simplest unicellular organisms, coelenterates, worms, crustaceans and mollusks. However, in deep water there are also fish and jellyfish that develop the ability to glow. Therefore, we can say that there is not absolute darkness under the water column. The fish that live there are predatory and use light to attract prey. One of the most unusual and terrifying, at first glance, is the hauliod. This is a small black fish with a long mustache on lower lip, with the help of which she moves, and with terrible long teeth.

One of the most recognizable representatives of the mollusk order is the squid. It lives in both warm and cold seas. How colder water, the paler the color of the squid. The change in color saturation also depends on the electrical impulse. Some individuals have three hearts, so they have the ability to regenerate. Squids are predators; they feed on small crustaceans and plankton.

Shellfish also include oysters, mussels, and scallops. These representatives have a soft body, closed in a shell of two valves. They practically do not move, bury themselves in silt or live in large colonies, located on rocks and underwater reefs.

Snakes and turtles

Sea turtles are large animals. They reach 1.5 m in length and can weigh up to 300 kg. Ridley is the smallest among all turtles, weighing no more than 50 kg. The front legs of turtles are better developed than the hind legs. This helps them swim long distances. It is known that on land sea turtles appear only for procreation. The carapace is a bony formation with thick scutes. Its color ranges from light brown to dark green.

When getting their food, turtles swim to a depth of 10 meters. They mainly feed on shellfish, algae and sometimes small jellyfish.

Sea snakes exist in 56 species, grouped into 16 genera. They are found off the coast of Africa and Central America, in the Red Sea and near the coast of Japan. A large population lives in the South China Sea.

Snakes do not dive deeper than 200 meters, but they can remain without air for 2 hours. Therefore, these underwater inhabitants do not swim further than 5 - 6 km from land. Crustaceans, shrimp, and eels became their food. The most famous representatives of sea snakes:

The Ringed Emidocephalus is a snake with poisonous teeth.

Marine inhabitants, their photos with names, habitats and unusual facts life are of great interest to both scientists and amateurs. The sea is a whole Universe, the secrets of which people will have to learn for many more millennia.

The waters of the World Ocean occupy more than 70% of the entire surface of planet Earth, however, today the inhabitants of the depths of the ocean remain the least studied by ichthyologists due to difficult access to their habitat. In the lower layers of the seas and oceans there are many of the deepest fish and creatures that surprise, and sometimes simply shock, with their appearance or way of life. A significant part of them was discovered relatively recently, and many have yet to come to the attention of researchers of the deep sea.

general characteristics

Deep-sea fish live on the slopes and in the ocean floor, within 200-6000 m of the depth of the World Ocean. About 2000 of these are known, and there are about 10-15 species of those that live below 6000 m, which is 2% of the total number of the deepest sea creatures.

Description

Among the creatures that live on the ocean floor, there are those that are completely blind or, conversely, have sharp eyesight to track prey, which is due to the constant darkness in these layers of water. Since the seabed is mostly muddy, many living organisms are characterized by a specific body structure for convenient and fast movement - a flat body, long legs, the presence of needles or huge claws.

Some creatures may be distinguished by the presence of bioluminescence as illuminated body parts (processes, fins, tails). This way of adapting to environment provides some opportunities for successful life activities, for example, it can serve as bait for prey, as lighting in dark waters. It is often used for camouflage seabed or to scare away predators.

The closer to the bottom of the ocean, the stronger the pressure becomes and the temperature of the water decreases, and there is significantly less food for food. All these factors significantly influenced the structural features of some fish species. In these places you can find the most unusual inhabitants ocean, which have huge mouths and heads, the size of which can be several times greater than the length of their own body.

Rating of the most common types

The list of TOP 10 deep-sea fish includes the most incredible and unusual representatives depths of the sea. The appearance of many of them is so unusual that they resemble aliens from other planets. However, this list is much wider and can be supplemented with other equally interesting specimens due to the great diversity that live in the depths of the World Ocean.

Another name - goblin shark - is derived from unusual shape heads: there is a beak-shaped outgrowth and long jaws extending forward. Also has an unusual pink color due to proximity blood vessels to the surface of the skin.

Lives deeper than 200 m in almost all oceans, maximum depth diving is 1300 m, food consists of crabs, fry and squid. Catching prey is carried out by extending its jaws and swallowing it along with water.

There are several rows of teeth - separately for hunting prey and splitting the strong shells of various crustaceans.

The length of males is 2.4-3.7 m, females - 3.1-3.5 m. The maximum parameters known to researchers were 3.8 m in length and 210 kg in weight.

This is a representative of the ghostly black cat sharks that live in the north of the Atlantic Ocean, can be found at a depth of 600-1900 m. The first description by specialists dates back to 1979.

They most often end up in nets off the coast of Japan, have large eyes, and are different big head, small fins and tail.

The average length of a female is 76 cm, the largest known value size, which is documented, is 85 cm.

According to versions of some researchers, it is considered the deepest-sea fish in the world, since there is an officially known case of catching a specimen of this genus of the erugine family from the ship "John Eliot".

Research work was carried out on the ship, during which fish were brought on board from a depth of 8370 m. This happened near the trench in Puerto Rico.

In the works of many ichthyologists, Bathysaurus is considered as the most deep sea species of all those thoroughly studied to date.

Its habitat is located at a level of 3500 m, its body is elongated (almost 65 cm). There is also the name “fierce head”, which was given to him for his unattractiveness and threatening appearance.

It is also called pelican fish (Eurypharynxs pelecanoides), sac-eater, black eater, black crab-eater, belongs to the order of sac-mouths. Closest relatives are eels.

The specific structure of the body - a huge mouth and a short body - makes it possible to swallow prey many times larger than the size of the predator itself. Crookshanks have no scales, no ribs, and no air bladder.

The length of individuals varies from 4.8 cm (the smallest representative of the suborder) to 161 cm, the maximum recorded specimen reached 2 m.

In 1939, Wilbert Chapman made the discovery and description of probably one of most interesting fish deep water. And only in 2004 the world saw photographs depicting macropinna, which surprised many, since the fish has a transparent head.

Distributed in waters Pacific Ocean near the coasts of Canada, the USA and Japan at a depth of 500-800 m, the largest individuals live much lower.

The body length is about 15 cm, covered with large scales, and the fins are massive. The head is protected by a transparent dome-shaped shell; inside there are cylindrical eyes in a separate chamber. Green colour. Well-developed ocular muscles ensure the movement of the eyes from a vertical to a horizontal position, which makes it possible to productively monitor and capture prey.

Another name sounds like “monkfish”, obtained due to terrifying appearance. They live in the eastern region of the Atlantic Ocean at a depth of up to 550 m, are considered commercial, because of their white dense meat, dishes with it are widely popular in national cuisine France.

Individual specimens up to 2 m and weighing 57.7 kg can be found, the average length is 1-1.5 m. The body is without scales, everything is covered with skin growths and tubercles. Angler It is interesting in that it has a rod-like growth on its head with a luminous bait at the end to attract prey; its luminescence is provided by specific bacteria that live with this monster in symbiosis.

It is found in almost all areas of the oceans in deep layers at a level of 500-5000 m. It has relatively small dimensions - weight 120 g and length up to 15-18 cm. It looks terrifying - a powerful head with 4 sharp fangs. The teeth are located on both jaws, resemble construction nails, and protrude forward.

The sabertooth is a predator that, when catching a prey, copes with it in almost a matter of seconds, biting it several times in a row with its needle-teeth. When the jaw is closed, the lower teeth fit into a sheath on either side of the brain.

It is interesting to know that in 2008, environmentalists put the saber tooth first on the list of the 10 most terrible animals on the planet.

It lives at a depth of 200-1000 m and has some resemblance to a stingray, as it has a large head and a small tail. Their shell is similar in strength to that of a turtle and serves as protection against sea predators.

Almost does not swim, moves along the bottom on fins adapted to environmental conditions, which over time have become similar to the limbs of land animals.

Soft-bodied whalefish (Flabby Whalefish)

Considered one of the deepest living species, its habitat is at 3500 m and below. The length reaches 40 cm, and in appearance they resemble the cetacean family.

Habitat: the lower layers of the waters of the Pacific and Atlantic oceans up to 1450-1570 m. It has a snake-like body of dark brown color up to 2 m long.

The name was obtained due to the presence of 6 skin folds - gill slits. The hunt is almost like that of snakes - the shark bends its body and makes a lightning-fast leap forward towards the victim. Strong, long jaws allow you to reliably squeeze prey, as several rows of sharp teeth help hold it.

It is probably fair that it is considered the most bizarre of the deep-sea specimens, since it has unusual shape bodies.

Almost the entire surface of the Earth has been studied by humans. But the depths of the sea hold mysteries that are revealed gradually. With the advent of opportunities to dive deeper into the abyss, we find unusual deep sea creatures. We would like to present some of them to you. Not all of them are beautiful to look at, but they cannot be denied their originality.

Jellyfish Atoll- a rather predatory creature living at a depth where Sun rays do not penetrate, let alone divers. Its peculiarity is the ability to glow bright red. This happens when the jellyfish senses danger is approaching.

Blue Angel- Very small creature, which easily fits in the palm of a person. It has an amazing shape and color: it looks like a soaring angel, or a miniature dragon, blue on top and silver underneath. This camouflage helps him protect himself from predators, both in water and in the air. An angel can easily float to the surface of the sea by swallowing an air bubble.

Another sea creature is the Harp Sponge. As the name suggests, it is shaped like a harp, which clings to sea mud and uses its upper sticky tips to catch small prey.

Funny octopus Dumbo got its name due to its resemblance to the baby elephant from the Disney cartoon, although it is much smaller in size than an earthly mammal. When an octopus swims, it waves its fins, which are exactly like elephant ears. There is very little information about it, since its habitat is very deep.

The hairy crab Yeti lives in the cold depths of the sea. Its claws are covered with fur, making it look like a crab. Bigfoot. Living at great depths, where there is no light, made the yeti completely blind.

Strange fashionable fish The pipistrelle bat lives at a depth of 200 meters. She does not know how to swim, but only moves her shell-covered body along the bottom, using her fin legs to move. She is called a fashionista for the bright red color of her slightly protruding lips, making her look quite funny.

Handsome slug Felimare Picta lives among. What makes it extravagant is the coloring and shape of the body: the rich blue-yellow color of the body, framed by a frill. It does not have its own house (like an ordinary mollusk), because it uses a special remedy for protection - acidic sweat secreted throughout the body. It is unlikely that anyone would want to get involved with such prey.

A mollusk lives in the Atlantic Ocean, which was nicknamed "Flamingo Tongue". He is inseparable from his shell, which he carefully guards own body, and into which he hides in case of danger.

Seahorses whose bodies are “seated” with many leaves, they are called deciduous dragons. They are one of the best masters of mimicry. The leaves do not interfere at all and do not help it swim; the dragon moves with the help of two small fins.

The selection presents a wide variety of living creatures that inhabit the depths of the sea: strange and unusual, creepy and frightening, colorful and incredibly cute. Many of them were opened quite recently.

Marine "flycatcher"

These shell-like predators live in deep-sea canyons near California. In terms of their hunting method, they are somewhat similar to carnivorous plants; they attach themselves to the bottom and calmly wait until the unsuspecting prey swims into the gaping mouth. This way of eating prevents them from being too picky about food.

Shark pedestrian

It was discovered off the coast of Halmahera Island (Indonesia). the new kind a shark that “walked” along the bottom in search of prey, exactly like a lizard. Unusual fish a relative of the bamboo shark, it grows up to 70 cm in length. She hunts mainly at night, and her dinner becomes small fish and invertebrates. And, by the way, this is far from the only fish that “walks” along the seabed. Representatives of the bat and lungfish families can walk on fins.

Christmas tree

Lovers marine fauna and divers call this the colorful inhabitants of the Pacific and Indian Ocean. It's actually a tubular polychaete sea worm, his Latin names– Spirobranchus giganteus.

Neither fish nor...

This is a mollusk and it does not fit at all into the idea of what gastropods should actually look like. Tethys fimbria are quite large, about 30 cm long, their almost shapeless translucent body is decorated with bright processes irregular shape. Tethys are common in the waters of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, where they slowly glide along the seabed.

Pugaporcinus

If there was a competition for the title of “weirdest worm,” Pugaporcinus would easily beat out all the other participants. These unusual inhabitants ocean depths better known in narrow circles as “flying buttocks”. Their existence became known only recently, in 2007. The creature is no larger than a hazelnut.

Tripod fish

Bright distinctive feature This fish consists of long thin pectoral fins, with which it rests on the seabed and stands in anticipation of prey. It is not surprising that the name of this fish is Brachypterois grallator or simply tripod fish. Scientists still know little about them, since the creatures live at depths from 1000 to 4500 meters. The length of the fish is about 30-35 cm.

Thaumatikht Axel

These representatives of the order of anglerfish were discovered not so long ago, and were named after the Danish prince Christian Axel, who died in the middle of the last century. Axel is considered one of the strangest and most unattractive creatures, although not many people like to live at a depth of 3500 meters (just remember the Internet star - the blob fish). They reach a length of 50 cm, or rather, scientists were able to meet fish of this size. In the creature's mouth there is a special gland with glowing bacteria. To start hunting, the fish simply needs to open its mouth and potential victims will swim towards the light source.

Moonfish

Bat

A fish from the ray-finned family of the same ugly anglerfish. Widely distributed in warm tropical and subtropical seas, except the Mediterranean. Lives at depths of up to 100 meters.

Sea spiders

These harmless creatures live in almost all waters with normal salinity. Like ordinary spiders, their body is relatively small from 1 to 7 cm, but the leg span can be up to 50 cm. sea spiders there are about 1000 species.

Mantis crab

This colorful creature has unique vision and moves with incredible speed, but most of the time the true predator hides in coral reefs at depths from 2 to 70 meters. Sometimes it is called a fighting cancer or even a terrorist cancer. Officially, he is a mantis crab. Why becomes clear at first glance. The segments of the jaws of these crayfish are bent at an angle, like those of mantises. Just like insects, crayfish are able to instantly throw a limb forward, much faster than a person blinks.

Giant underwater pipe

Pyrosomes or fireworms are tiny sea creatures somewhat similar to jellyfish, they are only a few millimeters long, but when united into a giant colony, they create huge translucent tubes up to several meters long. It’s also worth remembering that they are capable of bioluminescence. Imagine a huge underwater tube glowing in the night - a breathtaking sight.