In abyssal fauna it is possible to find animals with amazing physical characteristics, worthy of horror films.The abyssal beings of the sea depths live in darkness, in a world little known to humans.They are blind, have large teeth and some of them even have the ability to bioluminescence.These animals are impressive, very different from the usual animals, and do not let anyone remain indifferent to their existence.
In this peritoAnimal article, we’ll talk about animals living under the sea, explain what habitat is like, features, and also show you 10 examples with images and 15 other rare marine animal names.I’ll reveal some of the most mysterious creatures on Earth and some curiosities.Get ready to be a little scared with these seabed animals!
- Due to the harsh conditions of this environment.
- Humans have only explored about 5% of the marine areas of the entire planet Earth.
- So the blue planet.
- Whose three-quarters of its surface is covered with water.
- Is almost unknown to us.
- However.
- Scientists and explorers have been able to confirm the existence of life in one of the deepest levels of the oceans.
- At a depth of more than 4.
- 000 meters.
The abyssal, or abysopelagic, zones are concrete places in the oceans that reach depths between 4 and 6 thousand meters, and are located between the Bathypelagic and the abyssal area, sunlight cannot reach these levels, so the depths of the deep sea are dark and very dark.areas, with a great shortage of food and enormous hydrostatic pressure.
Precisely because of these conditions, marine life is not very abundant, even if it is surprising, the animals that inhabit these areas do not feed on plants because vegetation cannot perform photosynthesis, but debris that descends from the most superficial layers.
However, there are even deeper areas than the abyssal areas, the abyssal wells, with depths of up to 10 kilometers, these places are characterized by being located where two tectonic plates converge and present even more difficult conditions than those described in the abyssal areas.Surprisingly, even here, there is a particular fauna, such as fish and molluscs, especially small and bioluminescent.
It should be noted that to date, the deepest known place in the ocean is located southeast of the Mariana Islands, at the bottom of the Western Pacific Ocean, and is called the Mariana Trench, this area reaches a maximum depth of 11,034 meters. The highest mountain on the planet, Mount Everest, could be buried here and there would still be 2 kilometers of space left!
A fauna abissal ou abissopelágica se destaca por ser um grupo com grande quantidade de animais estranhos e monstruosos, uma consequência da pressão e outros fatores aos quais esses seres tiveram que se adaptar.
A particular characteristic of animals living in the depths of the sea is bioluminescence, many animals in this group produce their own light, either through the special bacteria they possess, or in their antennae, which are specifically used to captivate their prey, or on their skin., to capture or escape dangerous circumstances. Thus, the bioluminescence of their organs allows them to attract prey, escape predators and even communicate with other animals.
Abysmal gigantism is also common. In these places are common huge creatures, such as sea spiders up to 1.5 meters long, or crustaceans up to 50 centimeters, however, these particular characteristics are not the only ones that surprise animals living in the open sea and on the high seas., there are other peculiarities that result from adapting to live at such a distance from the surface level:
You may also be interested in our list of prehistoric marine animals, check it out.
Although much remains to be explored and discovered, each year new species are discovered that inhabit these inhospitable places on planet Earth, below we will show 10 examples with photographs of animals that inhabit the seabed that have been identified by humans and that are very surprising:
We begin our list of deep-sea animals with the fish Caulophryne jordani, a fish of the family Caulphrynidae that has a unique physical appearance, measures between 5 and 40 centimeters and has a giant mouth with sharp and frightening teeth, this round being is equipped with sensitive organs in the form of thorns, which are used to detect the movements of prey.Its antenna is also used to attract and fish its prey.
The snake shark (Chlamydoselachus anguineus) is considered a “living fossil” because it is one of the oldest species on Earth that has not changed in its evolution since prehistoric times.
It is distinguished by being an elongated and large animal, with an average of 2 meters in length, although there are individuals who reach 4 meters.The snake shark’s jaw has 25 rows with 300 teeth, and is particularly strong, allowing for large prey.In addition, it has 6 gill openings, nothing with an open mouth and its food is based on fish, squid and sharks.
Under the term “dumb octopus” we mean the marinebed animals belonging to the genus Grimpoteuthis, in the order of octopuses, the name is inspired by one of the physical characteristics of these animals, which have two fins on their heads, such as the famous Disney Elephant However, in this case, the fins help the dumb octopus to propel and swim.
This animal lives between 2000 and 5000 meters deep and feeds on worms, snails, coppods and bivalve, thanks to the propulsion generated by its siphons.
The elf shark (Mitsukurina owstoni) is another deep-sea animal that usually surprises many, this species can measure between two and three meters, however, it is distinguished by its jaw, full of very sharp teeth, as well as by the expanse that protrudes from its face.
However, the most characteristic of this being is its ability to project its jaw forward when it opens the mouth, its diet is based on telepotheus fish, cephalopods and crabs.
The black devil fish (Melanocetus johnsonii) is an abyssal fish of 20 cm that feeds mainly on crustaceans, inhabits the depths of the sea between 1,000 and 3,600 meters, reaching a depth of up to 4,000 meters, has an appearance that some would consider formidable, in addition to a gelatinous appearance.This fish from the seabed is distinguished by its bioluminescence, as it has a “lamp” that helps it to illuminate its dark surroundings.
If you want to know more about animals living on the seabed, check out our article on the 5 most dangerous marine animals in the world.
The bubblefish, also known as the dropfish (Psychrolutes marcidus), is one of the rarest marine animals in the world, has a gelatinous appearance and lacks muscle, in addition to soft bones, lives in depths of 4,000 meters and claims the first prize of the “ugly ugly fish in the world”, according to the Ugly Animal Preservation Society.It is about 30 centimeters long. This strange animal is sedentary, toothless and only feeds on prey that approaches its mouth.
The dragonfish (Stomias boa) has a flat and long body, between 30 and 40 centimeters long, the large mouth has long and sharp teeth, so some individuals cannot close the mouth completely.
The next animal on our list of animals living on the seabed is ogre fish, the only fish genus in the anoplogastridae family.They are usually between 10 and 18 centimeters long and teeth disproportionate to the rest of their body.Ogre fish have no bioluminescence capacity, so the way they hunt is to remain silent at the bottom of the sea until a prey approaches and detects it with its senses.
The Pompeii worm (Alvinella pompejana) has a length of approximately 12 centimeters, has tentacles on the head and hairy appearance, lives attached to the walls of the volcanic hydrothermal vents of the ocean trenches, a curiosity of these marine animals is that it can survive temperatures up to 80 degrees Celsius.
We finish our list of animals from the seabed with the snakefish (Chauliodus danae), an elongated abyssal fish, 30 centimeters long, which lives up to 4400 meters deep, what is most surprising of this fish are teeth sharp as needles, which it uses to attack prey after attracting them with their bioluminescent foforts, or luminous organs, located throughout the body.
Learn more about rare marine animals in our article on Brazil’s most toxic marine animals.
To finish the list of deep-sea creatures, here is a list of 15 other animal names that live on the rare and surprising seabed:
If you would like to read articles similar to Animals living under the sea, we recommend that you visit our Curiosities of the Animal World section.