Top 5 World's Most Bizarre Deep Sea Creatures That Baffled the Scientists, One Is Possibly the Ugliest

Scientists have been exploring the land and the creatures living on it for many years, gaining knowledge of its ecosystem. However, many animals in the deep ocean have remained undiscovered and unknown.

In comparison to land creatures, marine animals may somehow look alien to most people and have baffled scientists for many years. So, here are some of the bizarre ocean mysteries that live deep, deep down in the dark.

1. Anglerfish

(Photo : Pixabay/kimkong2k)
Anglerfish

Anglerfish looks like an angry fish from the deep ocean. According to National Geographic, this deep-sea fish is quite possibly the ugliest animal on the planet, living in the most inhospitable habitat down on the lonely, flightless bottom of the sea.

There are over 200 species of anglerfish, wherein most of them are living in the murky depths of the Atlantic and Antarctic oceans, although some may also be seen in shallow, tropical waters.

They are dark gray to dark brown in color and have giant heads with enormous crescent-shaped mouths with sharp, translucent teeth. These fish could grow up to 3.3 feet in length and as small as less than one foot.

Their most distinctive feature is a dorsal spine that protrudes above their mouths tipped with a luminous lure that they use to catch their prey. Their large mouths allow them to swallow their prey up to twice their size.

2. Blobfish (Psychrolutes marcidus)

Pictures of the smooth-head blobfish went viral online for some time now as the public was awed by the unique appearance that it was voted one of the ugliest sea creatures in 2013, according to Daily Star.

The blobfish lives 3,000 feet deep, where it looks like a typical fish as it has adapted to the huge amounts of pressure that are 120 times higher at the surface to help it hold its shape. But on land, it looks so different and terrifying.

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3. Giant Squid

The giant squid is rarely found in tropical areas but usually spotted in New Zealand and some Pacific islands, in the Atlantic and South Africa. Smithsonian magazine says that these squids are almost 43 feet (13 meters) long and could weigh up to a ton.

Despite their large size, giant squids are not usually seen or caught in the oceans because they live deep underwater and remain elusive to humans. Most of the giant squid specimens scientists have are dead carcasses that floated to the surface found by fishermen.

4. Greenland Shark

According to National Geographic, the Greenland shark is the longest living vertebrate which can live up to 400 years or twice the age of the oldest land mammal, the giant tortoise. That means there could be a Greenland shark today that was alive during the 1665 Great Plague of London and George Washington's presidential inauguration in 1789.

These sharks live in icy and deep waters, making it harder for scientists to study them. Despite being known as one of the slowest sharks in over 500 known species, scientists believe they could still be a top predator.

5. Black swallower (Chiasmodon niger)

Despite its tiny size, at only nine inches long, this small fish is a scary little creature. According to Daily Star, it can eat its prey whole, even measuring twice their size. They do this using their massive jaw that can extend to engulf their large target.

Sometimes they get so greedy that they take on a fish so big that it would sit at the black swallower's stomach and expand it, making the fish look pregnant and release gases that make it float to the surface. It is when they endanger their lives as they are not adapted to the low pressure at the surface.

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Check out more news and information on Deep-Sea Creatures in Science Times.