Dive Into The Deep: Six of The Strangest Sea Creatures You’ve Never Seen, In Pics
The ocean, which makes up more than 70% of the Earth, is home to some of the strangest and most unknown animals on Earth. Many of the sea animals we find bizarre have strange shapes, bioluminescent patterns, or transparent shapes to help them navigate the dark parts of the ocean that are devoid of light. Just to consider two examples, the jelly-like blobfish or the white color of a vampire squid, those would be thought of as some weird actors from a L movie. Most of these weird creatures, if not all of them, look bizarre enough… and they are real! Let’s dive further into six of the most bizarre sea creatures of the ocean that help to show just how bizarre and beautiful living in the ocean can be!
Blobfish
Frequently referred to as the "world's ugliest animal," the blobfish dwells in deep sea waters near Australia. It has a soft, squelchy body suited to extreme pressure - only appearing bizarre when it is taken out of the water.
Vampire Squid
Literally named "vampire squid of hell." it has webbed arms, luminescent lights on its body (bioluminescence), and inhabits the deepest, darkest parts of the ocean. Unlike true vampires, it doesn't hunt - it feeds on marine snow, dead particles drifting from above.
Saltwater Crocodile
Not your run-of-the-mill "sea creature," but it lives in saltwater - from estuaries to open ocean. Reaching more than 20 feet in length, it's the largest living reptile and a formidable predator - capable of killing sharks! Silent, swift, and deadly - it can kill prey as big as sharks.
Barreleye Fish
This deep-water fish has a dome-shaped skull, a transparent dome, and tube eyes that face outward and are moveable in the dome. It looks like a robot fish from a techie movie, but it is a real fish! This strange deep-water fish can see its prey by looking through its own skull. It is rarely seen alive and inhabits total darkness more than 2,000 feet below.
Sea Pen
Appears to be a lighted feather stuck on the seafloor. It's a colony of polyps functioning together as one animal. some species glow in the dark when disturbed.This light display is thought to startle predators or communicate with other marine life.
Yeti Crab
Found in 2005, this fuzzy-appearing crab inhabits the region around hydrothermal vents. Its "fuzzy" claws are colonized by bacteria that can potentially assist it to live in poisonous environments. It can't see - it's blind - but it flourishes in a few of the Earth's most inhospitable environments.
