15 Unusual Deep Sea Creatures I doubt You Have ever Seen!

Top 15 Unusual Deep Sea Creatures

The deep seas are often considered to be the last great, unexplored regions on Earth. Every year hundreds of hitherto unknown creatures are discovered ranging from tiny crustaceans to monster fish, and hundreds, even thousands, remain hidden awaiting our cameras. Here are 15 of the most unusual deep water denizens.

15. Ocean Sunfish

The ocean sunfish (Mola mola) is the heaviest bony fish in the world, with an average weight of 1000 kilograms. The species is native to tropical and temperate waters around the globe.

14. Megamouth Shark

This shark is an extremely rare and unusual species of deep water shark. Discovered in 1976, only a few have ever been seen, with 39 specimens known to have been caught or sighted as of 2007 and three recordings on film. Like the basking shark and whale shark, it is a filter feeder, and swims with its enormous mouth wide open, filtering water for plankton and jellyfish.

13. Chimaera

This strange cartilaginous fish uses its long snout to scan over the sea floor for the electrical impulses of its prey that bury in the muddy sea floor, just like a metal detector.

12. Fangtooth

This fish, also called an ogrefish, while understandably named for their disproportionately large, fang-like teeth and unapproachable visage, are actually quite small and harmless to humans: the larger of the two species, the common fangtooth, reaches a maximum length of just 16 centimetres (6 inches); the shortthorn fangooth is about half this size.

11. Pelican Eel

The pelican eel’s most notable feature is its enormous mouth, much larger than its body. The mouth is loosely-hinged, and can be opened wide enough to swallow a fish much larger than itself. The pouch-like lower jaw resembles that of a pelican, hence its name.

10. Blue-Ringed Octopus

The blue-ringed octopus is the size of a golf ball, but its venom is powerful enough to kill humans. There is no known antidote.

9. Viperfish

With a fearsome grin fit for a movie monster, the viperfish is a real-life predator that lurks in one of the world’s most remote locations.

8. Grenadiers

This large species has a rounded head and a mouth which faces forward to catch squid and fish that swim up off the sea floor. As in most other rattails, the males of this species have a special drum machine on their swim bladder that is used to attract females.

7. Vampire Squid

The Vampire Squid is covered entirely in light-producing organs called photophores. The animal has great control over the organs, capable of producing disorienting flashes of light for fractions of a second to several minutes in duration.

6. Glass Squid

With its polka-dot mantle and wide-eyed expression, this glass creature represents a lighter side of the inky ocean deep.

5. Giant Squid

The elusive giant squid, known to science as Architeuthis dux, is one of the world’s largest animals, reaching a length of up to 60 feet. It is the largest known invertebrate in the world.

4. Giant Isopod

These creatures are thought to be abundant in cold, deep waters of the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean.

3. Football Fish

The species holds pride of place as the first deep-sea angler ever found. The original specimen washed ashore in Greenland in 1833; at 22 inches long, it is still the largest one on record. Since no females of this species have ever been found bearing parasitic males, biologists assume they are fertilized by free-swimming mates.

2. Pacific Blackdragon

Female blackdragons are about two feet (61 cm) long and have fanglike teeth and a long chin whisker. The males are small, about three inches (8 cm) in length, and brownish in color. They have no teeth, no chin barbel and no stomach. Unable to eat, the male lives only long enough to mate.

1. Amphipod

The unusual animal, called Phronima, an Amphipod, is one of the many strange species recently found on an expedition to a deep-sea mountain range in the North Atlantic.

20 Animals You Had No Idea Existed!!

Here Are 20 Animals You Had No Idea Existed. Some Of These Will Haunt My Dreams Forever.

1. The Shoebill: This species is also referred to using the names Whalehead or Shoe-billed Stork. The bird has a large shoe-shaped bill, hence its unusual name. The Shoebill lives in tropical east Africa in large swamps from Sudan to Zambia, and it is also known for its unique, blue feathers. These birds are quite large, and they can range in height from 110cm - 152cm.

2. Okapi: The Okapi species is closely related to the giraffe family, not the zebra or even a horse. The Okapi is native to the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Central Africa.

3. The Pacu Fish: The terrifying Pacu Fish, a species native to South America, seem to have a full set of almost humanlike teeth. They are closely related to the piranha and are nicknamed the “ball cutter.”

4. The Panda Ant: Despite the panda ant’s name, this is actually a species of wasp. They are found in Chile, the wingless females resemble large, hairy ants. Even though these little bugs are cute, you may want to stay away, as they have a pretty bad sting.

5. The Narwhal: This is a toothed whale found in the Arctic. It’s one of the most recognizable whales on earth because of its enormous horn - it’s like the unicorn of the ocean.

6. The Red-Lipped Batfish: This frightening-looking fish is found near the Galapagos Islands, but it doesn’t swim. If can be found on the BOTTOM of the ocean, walking on its unusual fins. Don’t ask.

7. The Blind Snake: This unusual snake found in the Amazon has no eyes and its name is Atretochoana Eiselti. It is presumed to be an aquatic, almost eel-like animal due to its fleshy dorsal fin on the body, but most people that know of it just call it a blind snake.

8. The Umbonia Spinosa: Scientists are baffled by this unusual creature, but believe it to be closely related to cicadas. The Umbonia Spinosa use their beaks to pierce plant stems to feed upon their sap. It’s hard to tell what you’re looking at with the spinosa, but it’s easy to tell it’s beautiful.

9. The Lowland Streaked Tenrec: The Lowland Streaked Tenrec is cute, but you have to watch out for this creature found in Madagascar, Africa. It’s covered in tiny little barbs and it is reportedly the only mammal known to use stridulation for generating sound. Usually, only insects and snakes make that kind of noise.

10. The Hummingbird Hawk-Moth: This little creature seems to be a hybrid of a hummingbird, a hawk and a moth (as the name implies) but it's actually just a funny little insect that feeds on flowers.

11. The Blue Dragon: This is the Glaucus Atlanticus, a crazy species of blue sea slug. The Blue Dragon is able to float on the water's surface because of a gas-filled sac in its stomach. This species can be found in the warm ocean waters, so be careful not to step on these beauties.

12. The Peacock Mantis Shrimp: The mantis shrimp is also known as “sea locusts“, “prawn killers” and “thumb splitters”. Their front claws can deliver a punch that is as powerful as a gunshot. The mantis shrimp can’t be kept in normal aquariums, as they punch through other sea life and even the glass.

13. The Venezuelan Poodle Moth: The Venezuelan Poodle Moth was only discovered in 2009. They are found in Venezuela and not much is known about these fuzzy, dog-like moths just yet.

14. The Giant Isopod: This is one the largest species of the existing isopods. It’s so big because some creatures that live on the bottom of the ocean can experience “deep sea gigantism.” This is where the crustacean will grow much larger than its shallow sea dwelling counterparts. They look prehistoric because, honestly, they are. Isopods have been around for a long, long time.

15. The Saiga Antelope: The Saiga Antelope is known for its extremely unusual, over-sized, flexible nose structure. They are critically endangered and it is already completely extinct in China and southwestern Mongolia.

16. The Bush Viper: The Bush Viper lives in the trees of the tropical forests in Africa and it does most of its hunting at night. This snake may look fierce, but it’s actually one of the smallest species of snake, with a maximum length of only 78cm.

17. The Blue Parrotfish: This funny fish is known as a Blue Parrotfish and they average 30-75 cm in length. Some can grow up to 1.2m… probably because the parrotfish spends up to 80% of its time looking for food.

18. The Indian Purple Frog: This rare species of frog commonly found in India is much more bloated and round than its other frog counterparts. The Indian Purple Frog also has a small head and an unusual snout. It is so rare because it only spends TWO WEEKS above ground every year.

19. The Thorny Dragon: The Thorny Dragon is an Australian lizard that resides mostly in the desert and, as the name suggests, looks like a tiny dragon. They are also known as the mountain devil, the thorny lizard, or the moloch. This lizard is covered in sharp spikes, and it uses these to frighten away predators. They can live up to 20 years, more than most lizards.

20. The Sea Pig: The sea pig is closely related to a sea cucumber (whoever named sea creatures must have a sense of humor, since they never look like what they are named after). They have enlarged tube feet and live on deep ocean bottoms. Luckily, you’ll never run into one of these yourself.

These aren't your normal zoo animals. 

All 9 Subspecies of Tigers

Tigers are the largest members of the cat family (Felidae) and one of the most charismatic endangered species on the planet.

Over the last century, tiger numbers have fallen by about 95 percent and tigers now survive in 40 percent less of the area they occupied just a decade ago, according to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

Tigers have the species name Panthera tigris. There are nine subspecies of tigers, three of which are extinct.

A meeting set to begin in Russia on Sunday (Nov. 21) will examine some of the issues facing tigers in the wild and efforts to better conserve the six surviving tiger subspecies. Here we look at what sets each of these species apart. 

1.Amur (or Siberian) tiger (Panthera tigris altaica)

Amur tigers (also known as Siberian, Manchurian, Ussurian, or Northeast China tigers) are the largest of the tiger subspecies. Males can grow up to more10.5 feet (3.3 m) from head to tail and weigh up to 660 pounds (300 kilograms). Females are smaller, reaching just 8.5 feet (2.6 m) in length and about 200 to 370 pounds (100 to 167 kilograms) in weight.

2.Indian (or Bengal) tiger (Panthera tigris tigris)

 

The most numerous of the tiger species, the Bengal tiger is found in India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan. India is home to the largest population, estimated to between 2,500 and 3,750 individuals, according to the Save the Tigers Fund.

3.South China tiger (Panthera tigris amoyensis)

Found in central and eastern China, the South China tiger is listed as Critically Endangered on the Red List one step higher than Endangered.
According to the WWF, the South China tiger is estimated to be functionally extinct. Currently 47 South China tigers live in 18 zoos, all in China, the WWF says.

4.Malayan tiger (Panthera tigris jacksoni)

The Malayan tiger was only identified as being a separate subspecies from the Indochinese tiger in 2004. It is very similar to the Indochinese tiger, but is smaller in size.

Malayan tigers are found in the tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests of the southern tip of Thailand and Peninsular Malaysia.

5.Indo-Chinese tiger (Panthera tigris corbetti)

Also known as Corbett's tiger, after British hunter and naturalist Jim Corbett, this subspecies is found in Cambodia, Laos, Burma, Thailand, and Vietnam and formerly in China. They are listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List.

6.Sumatran tiger (Panthera tigris sumatrae)

Found only on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, the Sumatran tiger is listed as Critically Endangered on the Red List.

Sumatran tigers are protected by law in Indonesia, with tough provisions for jail time and steep fines, according to the WWF. But despite conservation and anti-poaching efforts, tigers are still hunted and tiger parts and skins remain in high demand.

7.Bali tiger (Panthera tigris balica) - EXTINCT

One of the three extinct subspecies of tiger, the Bali tiger went extinct in the 1940's, according to the Save the Tigers Fund.

Tigers were last positively recorded in western Bali in the late 1930s, according to the IUCN.

The causes of extinction include hunting, loss of forest habitat and loss of their prey base. None of these tigers exist in captivity.

8.Javan tiger (Panthera tigris sondaica) - EXTINCT

This now-extinct species inhabited the Indonesian island of Java into the 1980's.

Tigers were last positively recorded from Java's Meru Betiri National Park in 1976, and likely disappeared from much of the rest of the island by the 1940s, according to the IUCN.

9.Caspian tiger (Panthera tigris virgata) - EXTINCT

The Caspian tiger (also called the Hyrcanian tiger or Turan tiger) became extinct in the 1970's.

Caspian Tigers and their large ungulate prey were found in the sparse forest habitats and riverine corridors west (Turkey) and south (Iran) of the Caspian Sea and west through Central Asia into the Takla Makan desert of Xinjiang, China, according to the IUCN.

Its extinction can be attributed to hunting of both tigers and their prey, habitat loss and conversion, and increased vulnerability of small populations.

How many fish can you keep in your tank?

Don't crowd your aquarium, it can only hold so many fish

There are guidelines about how many fish you can keep in an aquarium, but few experts would claim they are scientifically exact. The two main rules of thumb on stocking an aquarium are based respectively on the surface area of the tank (which influences oxygen levels) and the tank volume (this takes pollution as well as oxygen into account).

Many other things can alter how many fish an aquarium can healthily support, including:

• The shape of the aquarium
• The filtration system employed
• Surface agitation
• Water temperature
• Tank maintenance regime
• The kinds of fish being kept

Note: You can’t stock to the maximum capacity on first setting up! If your tank can hold, say, 20 small tropical fish, you should build up to that over a period of 3-6 months, to give the tank a chance to mature without a dangerous spike in pollutants.

With those caveats in place, let’s consider the common guidelines.

Fish cm per liter / fish inches per gallon

This was the rule I was taught when I first started keeping fish, and it’s still the most common stocking guide today.

1. Calculate the volume of your aquarium in liters or gallons
2. Work out the length of your chosen fish from nose to base of the tail
3. Consult the table below

Kind of fish       Inches / gallon     cm / liter
Coldwater            1" / gallon          2.5cm / 4.55 liters
Tropical             1" / 0.5 gallon      2.5cm / 2.25 liters
Marine (reef)        1" / 4 gallon        2.5cm / 18 liters
Marine (Fish-only)   1" / 2 gallons       5cm / 9 liters

For example, a 30-gallon aquarium could hold 30″ of coldwater fish, 60″ of tropical fish, or 15″ of marine fish.

Important: I am using Imperial (UK) gallons here. To work out US gallons, multiply UK gallons by 0.83 (or just stick to liters!)

The advantages of the fish inches per gallon rule are that it is easy to understand, since most people know their tank’s volume, and it takes into account the total volume of the tank. “The solution to pollution is dilution” is an old fishkeeping phrase. Bigger volumes of water can obviously carry more fish waste such as nitrate before there’s a problem.

The disadvantage of the rule is it does not take into account the tank shape. A tall, thin tank of 40-gallons will, according to this rule, have the same carrying capacity as a shallower, longer tank. But in reality the shallow tank will offer a much bigger surface area for gas exchange. In filter-less tanks particularly, it makes a big difference.

Fish length per unit of surface area

This rule puts aquarium surface area to the fore:

1. Calculate the surface area of the tank in square inches or centimeters
2. Work out the length of your chosen fish from nose to base of the tail
3. Consult the table below

Kind of fish    Inches / sq inches      cm / sq cm
Coldwater         1" / 30 sq inches        2.5cm / 190 sq cm
Tropical          1" / 12 sq inches        2.5cm / 75 sq cm
Marine            1" / 48 sq inches        2.5cm / 300 sq cm

A 36-inch long by 12-inch wide tank will therefore hold 14″ of coldwater fish, 36″ of tropical fish or 9″ of marine fish.

The advantage of using the surface area guideline is that it takes oxygen exchange directly into account. The ‘per gallon’ rule also does (that’s why coldwater fish need more gallons than tropicals) but not so directly.

The disadvantage of the rule is that people aren’t so aware of their tank’s surface area. It’s easy to work out: just multiply the width of the tank by the length. But it’s harder to keep in mind when you’re in the aquarium store wondering if you can add a few more fish.

Other issues with stocking levels

This article could run forever, so I’ll just add a few more caveats and pointers you should take into account.

Water displacement because of decoration means your tank won’t hold as much as its theoretical volume. Take off at least 10% to account for gravel, rocks, lots of bogwood and so on. With a very heavily furnished tank, take off 15%.

Different fish need a different amounts of space. Active fish like tangs or danios require more swimming room then relatively static fish like clownfish or neon tetras. Many fish require a certain-sized territory. For instance, I’d only keep one pair of dwarf cichlids in a two-foot freshwater aquarium. These measures have nothing to do with theoretical volume.

Big fish need more room than the equivalent number of little fish. Two six-inch long catfish will require a much bigger tank than 12 one-inch tetras. Their biological load is greater, and they’re messier eaters.

You can generally ignore shrimps, snails, plants and invertswhen making your calculations, as they have a small biological load and often contribute to the tank’s carrying capacity (such as plants which oxygenate by day or critters that clean up detritus). Two caveats: In large numbers they will make a difference (such as a snail infestation in a tropical tank), and marine inverts can be more sensitive to poorer water quality (hence the lower stocking suggestion per gallon above).

Strong water circulation, big filters, airstones and so on can increase the stocking level of your aquarium, but I wouldn’t recommend it. Better to have healthy fish with enough room to roam unmolested than to cram in another fish or two and risk disease and infighting.

Remember, these are just rules of thumb. Erring on the side of caution is always the best policy with aquariums, and an under-stocked tank is far easier to keep in good condition than even a slightly over-stocked one.