Three quarters of the world is made up of bodies of water, the depths of which man has not yet fully explored. Living in this huge marine habitat are certainly a great many species that look far from the usual marine creatures people usually see in marine parks or household aquariums. From simply looking weird to having menacing and highly unique features, here are five of the most bizarre underwater creatures discovered so far:
Carnivorous coral
Corals usually get their food from passing elements in the ocean such as phytoplankton and algae. This candelabra-shaped coral is different though. The carnivorous coral traps small crustaceans with hooks and then slowly spreads a membrane over it, which makes it possible to digest what it caught with special chemicals.
Dumbo octopus
This octopus is just like any other octopus for most of its features. What makes it unique is that it has ear-like protrusions or flaps on the sides of its bell-shaped head. They usually live 7,000 meters below the surface, which means these creatures don’t see the sunlight, and they feed on bivalves, snails, and other crustaceans which they find on the seabed. Because of the natural habitat it prefers, it is known as the deepest-dwelling octopus.
Pink see-through fantasia
The name may be reminiscent of a sexy piece of clothing or a kind of fabric, but this sea creature is far from the normal idea of “sexy” that people have. The pink see-through fantasia is a sea cucumber which is present in the Celebes Sea, west of the Pacific. Upon looking at it, it has a light pink shade and it looks somewhat like a jellyfish. Inside, there is an intestine-like organ which can clearly be seen through the sea cucumber’s gelatinous body.
Barrel eye fish
Strange is what may first come to mind when you see the barrel-eye fish. It has a cavernous head which houses its globular and crystal ball-like eyes. The clear head makes it possible for the fish to see with a wider range.
Tonguefish
Reminiscent of flounders whose bodies are flat and whose eyes are on the same side of their body, tonguefish are much like them, but longer. They were recently discovered in the deep bottom of the western Pacific and they have even been seen in sulfuric conditions.
With the great size that the oceans have, there are bound to be several bizarre creatures and these five are definitely just a small portion of them!