Mysteries of the Deep – Strangest and Funniest Underwater Creatures – 15 Pictures

So far, humans have only explored less than 5% of the world’s seas and oceans, but that was enough to find some unbelievable creatures and animals that live under the water. They are weird, funny and sometimes scary, but their unusual look is what makes them so interesting and popular. Sea life is very rich and colorful and we can only show you a small part of that vastly unexplored world.

Yeti Crab – hard to find as Yeti itself

This furry creature was discovered just a decade ago in the Pacific Ocean. The hairs that got them their popular name aren’t just a decoration, but also help them feed since they eat the small microbes that grow there. They live 8500 feet below the surface in very cold and extreme conditions.

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Dumbo Octopus – fins like ears

These interesting octopi come in different shapes and colors. They are usually small, around 8 inches, but some species can grow to a couple of feet. They live in very deep waters, usually near the bottom, so they don’t have many natural predators.  Their fins that look like ears earned them the name Dumbo Octopus, after the famous cartoon elephant with big ears. 

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Blob fish – not a very pleasant sight

Some think they are scary, others just find them weird, but blob fish are actually not that much different from other fish, except for their appearance, of course. When you get a name like that (or fathead as some call them) you will try to stay out of sight and that’s what they do. They live in deep waters in North Pacific and also have spikes on their backs to keep away those who decide to come too close.

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Flamingo Tongue Snail – the name says it all

These funny looking snails live in tropical waters of Atlantic Ocean and they owe their beautiful patterns to their mantle tissue that covers their pale-white shells. They are quite common, but people usually make the mistake of collecting them thinking that they have colorful shells, so in some areas they have become scarce.

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Pink See-Through Fantasia – weird, but beautiful

This unique free swimming cucumber species has only recently been discovered in the Celebes Sea, in the depth around 8000 feet. They use webbed structures that they have underneath their bodies to propel them around.

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Vampire Squid – the ancient relic

Don’t be afraid of this unusual sea animal, since it is actually really, really small, growing to about six inches in length. They prefer warm and tropical waters, but they live in depths up to 3000 feet. They have long fins on their head that help them swim faster and without great effort. 

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Weedy Sea Dragon – a close relative of sea horse

These weird fish has appendages that look a lot like leaves which help them camouflage and avoid predators. They are endemic to Australia and they live in relatively shallow waters, up to 170 feet in depth. They drift through water thanks to their numerous fins that help them keep their balance. 

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Northern Stargazer – a patient hunter

This unusual fish lives in the waters around the USA. They are famous for their hunting technique since they bury themselves in the sand and just wait out the pray. They have electric organs on the top, so they can even cause electric shock. 

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Axolotl – the walking fish

This adorable salamander is known as the walking fish, even though it is actually amphibian. It is also known as Mexican salamander since it is endemic to Mexican lakes. It is often kept as a pet, but it is most famous for its healing ability. This small cutie can regenerate limbs and even some vital organs after some period of time.

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Red-Lipped Batfish – came out of Man Ray painting

These fish are famous for their lips, hence the name they got. Aside from that, they are different from most fish since they use their adapted fins to walk on the sea floor and are not great swimmers. They live in waters around the Galapagos Islands.

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Frogfish – small and stocky camouflage master

This weird fish can be found in most tropical oceans. Many species of frogfish can change color, which helps them camouflage along with their unusual appendages. They use their camouflage skills to avoid predators as well as hunting.

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Box fish – colorful and numerous species

There are many different species of box fish, but all of them have one thing in common – they are squared – looking. Even though they are slow-moving, due to their unusual build there are not many predators that can eat the adult box fish. Some species even poison water around them to keep the predators at bay.

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Comb Jellyfish – a feast for your eyes

These beautiful jellyfish can be found in waters worldwide and have many species. They are very colorful and pretty, but they are mostly transparent and thus hard to spot. Most of the species are hermaphrodites, which means that they have both male and female reproductive organs.

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Mantis shrimp – a fierce predator

Don’t let the looks fool you – these colorful sea animals are known for their strong claws and many have felt just how much pain they can inflict if not handled carefully. Even though most species are small (up to 5 inches) they are great hunters. They live in shallow tropic and sub-tropic waters.

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Flying Gurnard –deceiving wings

This bottom-dwelling fish lives in the Atlantic Ocean and it is known for its semi-transparent and beautiful wings. But even though its name and its wings suggest that this fish can fly, it actually can’t. It just uses its wings to scare off predators.

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Image sources

1. factzoo.com/invertebrates/yeti-crab-grows-on-food-in-hair.html
2. m.blog.naver.com/vpaula/100185452534
3. ourtask.org/blog
4. pinterest.com/pin/168110998568077533/
5. wittyfeed.com/story/1070/these-21-mysterious-sea-creatures-who-remained-secret-till-now
6. news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2012/09/pictures/120929-vampire-squid-deep-ocean-animals-science-monterey/
7. portphillipmarinelife.net.au/species/8007
8. topaquatics.blogspot.rs/2014_01_01_archive.html
9. wall.alphacoders.com/by_sub_category.php?id=229826
10. pygmylorisreid.wordpress.com/2013/11/21/the-red-lipped-batfish/
11. life-sea.blogspot.rs/2012/06/life-of-frogfish.html
12. fishwallpapers.com/boxfish/boxfish-on-a-bottom-pic.html
13. flickr.com/photos/a_semenov/8907077368
14. reddit.com/r/interestingasfuck/comments/48xe0z/the_mantis_shrimp/
15. thediveshack.blogspot.rs/2013/03/creature-feature-flying-gurnard.html

Author: Blacksmith