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Deep Sea Creatures (pic heavy)
- Jun 8, 2009 at 12:24 PM
- By
- Comments (79) Total Views (48556) Everyone can see this journal post.
Ever since I was a kid, I have been particularly fascinated by the creatures of the deepest parts of the ocean. Maybe it is their horrifying ugliness; maybe the fact I will never see them with my own eyes. Or it's possible my fascination is due to their striking features, which could only suit those who live in this unique, extreme environment. I'd like to review some of my favorites from the ocean depths.
There is much variation in the geography of the ocean floor, ranging from the continental shelf to the deep ocean trenches. The most famous of these trenches, the Marianas Trench in the Pacific Ocean, is the deepest point on Earth, at almost 7 miles deep!! In between the surface and the trench are a few ocean zones......
The Sunlight Zone covers the area from the surface to 600 feet below. The deepest portion is somewhat dark, cold, and of fairly high pressure; life forms are numerous, and with alot of variation. Most people are familiar with this ocean zone, because it is where most ocean life lives, including dolphins, sharks, most fish, plankton, etc.
The Twilight Zone (AKA the mesopelagic zone) ranges from 600 to 2,600 feet below the surface. This section has very low light, it is very cold, and has a high pressure due to the mass of water above. Here, humans need a special JIM suit to explore this area; life is sparse and plankton cannot grow. It is noteworthy that some animals emit their own light (bioluminescence). Among the strange creatures that inhabit this area are the viperfish, the gulper eel and the fangtooth. No plants are found in this zone.
The viperfish has a light hanging on an apendage dangling in front of the mouth to lure prey. It also has large eyes to aid in gathering what little light is available.
Picture above from extremescience
The gulper fish has an enormous mouth with hinged jaw that allows it to eat fish many times larger than itself, such as dead animals that fall down from above.
Picture above from National Geographic
The Fangtooth has large eyes and enormous teeth (although it isn't clear why so many species have such large scary looking teeth).
Picture above from exploretheabyss.com
The Midnight Zone (AKA the bathypelagic zone) is 3,000 feet to about 13,000 feet below the surface. Over 90% of the ocean's water is in this zone. Here there is compete darkness, very high pressure and it is extremely cold. The only light available is that which comes from the animals themselves. The types of animals that can be found in this region include angler fish, tripod fish, sea cucumber, vampire squid, and opposum shrimp.
A tripod fish, with long appendages that help it sense location and prey in the absence of light.
Picture above from the University at British Columbia
A vampire fish, with it's large eyes. Like other fish at these levels, it does not have coloring, due to the dark conditions.
Picture above from ZhuaGuai
A deep-sea cucumber shows bioluminescence, and many appendages that help it sense position and prey in the absence of light.
Picture above from deepseaphotography.com
The angler fish has a lighted appendage that helps it to see when it needs to, but mostly to attract prey right into the mouth.
Picture above from Temple University
The Abyss (AKA the abyssmal zone) covers the area from 13,000 feet to the ocean floor (about 20,000 feet). In this area, squid and octopus are most prevalent. Common animals found include the dumbo octopus, saucer jellyfish, and threadfin snailfish. This region also has extreme bacteria and giant tube worms that live in the deep sea vents that form near cracks in the ocean's crust.
The threadfin snailfish has sensory ports around it's mouth to aid in determining preylocation in the absence of light.
Picture above fromthe Hong Kong Science Museum
This is a deep sea vent, where sulfur gas bubbles out. Special extreme bacteria live in this sulfur-rich region.
Picture above from encarta
Here are the giant tube worms, adapted to live in the sulfure rich micro-environment next to thermal vents. Each one of these is about the size of your leg, and dozens can live along one vent.
Picture above from technovelgy
The dumbo octopus and sad octopus show the variations seen in the abyss.
The Big Red jellyfish (which received it's own new subfamily).
Pictures above from Discover
Check out more abyssmal creatures on the Discover Magazine slideshow.
The Trench (AKA the hadalpelagic zone) is the area from the sea floor to the bottom of the trench (up to 7 miles below the water's surface). New species of soft-bodied formanifera were found to inhabit the trench, as well as barreleye (spookfish), deep sea amphipods, and black dragonfish.
The spookfish has large eyes and a clear body. Recent new finds include a species with two divided eyes, which allow it to look in four directions at once, using two eyes.
Picture above by David Shile through thedeepbook
Shrimp-like amphipods are very numerous on the floor of the trench.
Picture above from deepseaphotography
Soft-bodied formanifera come in a variety of shapes and sizes, and often conglomerate, almost as if forming sub-complex multi-celled organisms.
Picture above by markbannet
The black-dragon fish emits light near infra-red. A special chemical allows the fish to "see" in this spectrum. What a great adaptation for a fish that lives in the absolute darkness.
Picture above from Nature
What an amzing variety of life down in that deep ocean! These species are all incredible examples of how an animal needs to be suited for its environment. Some of these adaptations are beyond my wildest dreams! Can you even imagine what else is down there that we haven't found yet, or what lived and died before we ever had a chance to see it?
This blog is part of a series where we learn about ocean related topics in preparation for World Ocean Day, June 8th, 2009! Check out my profile for the ocean theme.
Tonya
AKA sunmoonstars
Comments:
Very cool!
barby - very amazing!!
I am happy and content leanring about the oceans right here on land. :) Ankle deep is as far as I go. I like the angler fish and the viperfish...up here.
Oh my gosh I am so fascinated with these type of creatures too. I just can get enough of looking at them
I like the octopi, they're cute!
This really makes you wonder what else we haven't tapped into yet!
The dumbo octopus is probably the cutest thing I have ever seen! This is a great journal. I love ocean creatures of all kinds.
Strange, repulsive and interesting! Great post!
Thanks everyone :)
I was wondering how long before someone posted about how cute those octopi are!! I love the dumbo, he kindof reminds me of something on that pokemon snap game!
Save for the adorable "Dumbo" octopus, the faces of those other creatures are ones only a mother could love! But they're all absolutely amazing! I remember watching not too long ago a documentary about the Abyss and thermal vents and it talked about a few of these denizens of the deep. Thanks for this post--fascinating!
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Those pics are fabulous. Isn't it amazing what lives here on this planet with us and most of us don't even know it?
- barby402000
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