By Josiah S.
We know frighteningly little about our oceans, especially the deepest parts of them. We know more about space than we do our own oceans… perhaps for the best. However, the things we have discovered have been, well, frightening. This is a list of the top ten scariest looking sea creatures in no specific order.
1. Goblin Shark
The Goblin Shark is a type of fish that lives at 4265 feet below sea level. Its scientific name is Mitsukurina Owstoni. This rare deep sea shark eats rattails and dragon fish. This freaky fish has a horn on the front of its head that really makes it look like something out of a movie.
2. The Black DragonFish
The Black Dragon fish lives 6560 feet below sea level. It releases a very deadly poison to protect it from its predators. This fish is not actually that big. Females can grow to be 40 centimeters in length while males only can grow to be a maximum of 5 centimeters long. Despite the fact that this fish looks like it could eat a shark it typically only eats small invertebrates like shrimp and plankton. Either way it is clearly meant to strike fear into anyone who looks at it.
3. The Viperfish
The Viperfish eat mostly small fish and crustaceans. It, like many other fish, migrates to the surface to eat at night. Both males and females can grow up to 1 foot long. They are long skinny fish that can come in many different color appearances. From clear to glowing these fish are considered main predators in the deep sea.
4. The Fangtooth Fish
The Fangtooth fish is not a very long fish like the last two but rather it just grows to about 6 inches long. It's cold blue eyes can not see very well but it has developed an ability to sense movement and vibration. The main characteristic that qualifies the fangtooth for this list is its long see-through teeth. The fangtooth has been found as deep as 16,000 feet below sea level but it is most commonly found somewhere between 1,500 to 6,500. This is one of the deepest deep sea dwelling fish humans know of.
5. The Angler Fish
The Angler Fish is more commonly referred to as the “fish with the little light thing that hangs by its mouth.” However, its scientific name is lophiiformes, other sources call it the black devil. It lives as deep as a mile below sea level, that is 5280 feet. The little light that hangs by its mouth is a lure to attract prey into its mouth. The lure is actually a glowing bacteria called photobacterium, only female angler fish have this. The Angler fish eats mostly small fish and plankton.
6. The Frilled Shark
The Frilled Shark is a near extinct species of shark, it is the last of its kind. It lives as deep as 390 feet to 4,200 feet below sea level. Little is known about these sharks but we do know how they hunt. The Frilled shark coils itself up and then floats silently in the water until there is prey nearby then it uncoils like a spring and strikes at its victims. It has 300 teeth that it uses to kill prey.
7. The Stargazer Fish
Stargazer Fish live in the Mediterranean sea and the Atlantic ocean. They have two venomous spines above their pectoral fins, surprisingly they are edible and have earned themselves the nickname “poor man's lobster.” This is because people say it tastes just like lobster. The stargazer hunts by burying itself in the sand and waiting for prey to swim by, then it strikes at its prey and eats it. It lives in shallow waters and is often called the face in the sand.
8. The Sarcastic Fringehead
If you have ever heard the phrase "looks can be deceiving,” this little fish proves it right. When you first see it you might think it is a harmless little fish that might even be friendly. Nope, it is very aggressive and territorial. It lives in little holes in coral and rocks. It likes to hide in them and then strike out at any little or big fish swimming by. It is known to attack prey and other creatures much larger than itself, it is even known to attack humans. It is only 3 to 8 inches long but it doesn't care, they may be tiny but they are mighty. What it eats in the wild is unknown but we assume it eats most anything it can. When it strikes out at its prey it splays out its jaws. (like in the picture to the left.) This fearless fish has even been recorded trying to eat an octopus. So if you're snorkeling in the northeast parts of the Pacific off the coast of California or Baja California, then you better pray you don’t run into one of these.
9. The Pelican (Gulper) Eel
This rarely seen deep sea eel got its name from its eating habits. It likes to open its mouth really wide and gulp its prey whole. It gets the name “pelican” from it’s giant mouth that it swims around with wide open and uses as a scoop. It is the last of its type of eel and in fact not endangered. The gulper eel can live up to 85 years in the wild.
10. The Basking Shark
Basking sharks live in temperate waters around the world. The Basking Shark may appear to be showing its rib cage but it is really just structured cartilage. They can grow to be 35 feet long. In order to eat Basking Sharks swim with their mouth wide open like whale sharks to eat plankton.
Our oceans are filled with insanely unbelievable creatures and more are being discovered every day. The ocean is always surprising us with new and more interesting creatures. Who knows what other creatures are waiting to be discovered down there in the great deep ocean.