Menacing Monsters of the Deep Sea

The deep sea, with no light and lots of pressure, has lots of weird and wonderful (read: sort of ugly) creatures that have adapted to life in this strange environment.

Goblin Shark

Is this the ugliest shark ever? Probably. This shark lurks at the bottom of the ocean at about 4,265 feet below sea level. The protrusion on its head acts like a trowel for investigating the muddy ocean floor. The goblin shark has very small eyes, as it does not rely on them much. Its teeth are long and needle-like and the shark can use its jaws to grab any prey that he might disturb with his protrusion.   

Frilled Shark

Looking more like an eel than a shark, the frilled shark is called so because of its six frilled gills. It has 300 trident shaped teeth, making sure that its slippery diet of squid, octopus and cuttlefish don’t stand a chance. While it has never yet been seen hunting, the theory is that it soils like a snake to attack.

Giant Squid

This giant squid was found at Ranheim in Trondheim on 2 October 1954. Here it is being measured by Professors Erling Sivertsen and Svein Haftorn. The specimen had a total length of 9.2 meters.

Giant Isopod

These giant crustaceans are a throwback to a bygone era – where everything was huge! They’re bottom feeders, living in the Pacific Ocean and other cold waters. They typically reach a size of 14.2 inches in length, but in 2010 a 2.5 foot long one was discovered!

Gulper Eel

The gulper eel is found in all of the world’s tropical and temperate oceans at depths of 500 – 6,000 feet. The most notable feature of the gulper eel is its huge mouth, it is loosely hinged and can be opened to swallow a creature much larger than itself.

Vampire Squid

Contrary to its name, this squid isn’t a blood sucking terror of the deep. It is named so for its cloak like arms and webbing, and its red eyes, reminding those who named it ‘Vampire’. A relatively small squid, it seems to fly through the water.

Blobfish

Living off the coast of Australia, the blobfish lives at such depths that the pressure means it cannot sustain a proper shape. Instead, it is a gelatinous blob. Scientists now fear that the blobfish may become an endangered species because of deep ocean trawling. 

Chimaera

Not to be confused with the Greek mythological creature, a chimaera is a cartilaginous fish, making their closest living relative sharks. A very strange looking creature, they don’t have teeth, but two permanently grinding toothplates. They have large heads and a single gill, and they are the only vertebrates to retain traces of a third pair of limbs.