Rare Creatures of the Sea

Goblinfish (Glyptauchen panduratus), sometimes seen in horror movie, is an uncommon and bizarre species found only in deep-sea habitats without direct light.

These deep-sea creatures look straight out of Jim Henson’s studio. Moving slowly across the ocean floor with tubular appendages that appear leg-like, they churn up soft mud for plants and animals to consume.

Portuguese man o’ war

The Portuguese man o’ war may resemble an ungainly jellyfish, but this bizarre sea creature is actually known as a siphonophore – an organism comprised of numerous marine animals working together as one organism to serve certain purposes and provide food. Each part plays its own specific function while sharing one potent stinger that can kill marine prey as well as hurt humans.

The Portuguese Man O’ War (Physalia physalis) is an Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Ocean-dwelling sea jellyfish species with long tentacles reaching up to 165 feet long – giving this creature its name due to resembling an 18th century Portuguese warship in full sail. This pelagic species can easily be identified by its bright blue-purple float and blue tentacles which resemble its namesake 18th-century warship from which its name derives.

Tentacles up to 30 meters wide of this creature can sting their prey with powerful venom. Each tentacle also contains microscopic capsules which release deadly toxins when severed from its host tentacle, so even severed tentacles can still sting humans with painful red welts, muscle cramps, nausea and vomiting – in rare instances the sting may even prove fatal!

Though dangerous, these creatures play an essential part in marine ecosystems. Their food source is essential to Violet Sea Snails as well as contributing to Earth’s oxygen balance; their venom also acts as an effective pesticide.

Although chances of death by Portuguese man o’ wars are extremely low, each year thousands of people are stung by their tentacles and can become seriously stung. Most stings occur when swimmers unknowingly touch them or step on one that washes up onto beaches; their painful stings may become life-threatening for those with weak hearts or respiratory conditions; the best way to avoid being stung is to stay clear from these creatures while using tweezers to remove any tentacles attached to your skin while taking painkillers as needed.

Blue-ringed octopus

One of the world’s deadliest creatures, the blue-ringed octopus is one of the world’s deadliest creatures with an immense bite that can instantly paralyze or kill a human. Its striking blue rings light up all over its body as a warning not to come too close; while its red eyes illuminate when it releases poison to defend itself.

These aquatic creatures can be found off Japan, Australia and Indonesia. While they spend the day hiding under rocks or in cracks, at night they come out hunting small crabs, hermit crabs, shrimp and other seafood with their arms before using their beak to puncture its shell or exoskeleton and inject its poisonous saliva to paralyze its prey before sucking out any soft flesh that remains.

Note that blue-ringed octopus aren’t actually one species; rather they belong to a genus with numerous species within that can display blue rings when feeling threatened or distressed. These typically only show themselves during times of stress or aggression.

As with most octopuses, blue-ringed octopuses employ their chromatophores to camouflage themselves by changing color depending on their surroundings; their yellow or cream bases feature dark pigmented cells underneath that add depth and intensify their blue patterns. Furthermore, they have the ability to change their hue depending on where they’re living in addition to having blue rings all over their arms that appear when alarmed.

Octopuses are notoriously notorious for their potency of their venom, which has the power to kill in minutes. One bite from this rare marine creature may cause painless numbness, paresthesia in lips and tongue, difficulty with speaking (dysarthria), excessive salivation, difficulties swallowing (dysphagia), tremors, loss of coordination, muscle weakness and eventually paralysis that leads to respiratory failure and death.

Blue-ringed octopuses may look fearsome, but in actuality are rarely aggressive and will only bite when provoked. One of the few ocean creatures not afraid of humans, we should use this fact as a lesson to respect and protect these amazing sea life species.

Red-lipped batfish

Red-lipped batfish may look like any other fish with lipstick on, but don’t be fooled! This extraordinary species only lives in one place on Earth: Galapagos Islands. Boasting its distinctive frog-like legs and lipstick-red pout with dangling lure, this unique animal truly stands out as something extraordinary in our ocean world.

Batfish belong to the angler fish family and, like its relatives, employ lures as bait to attract prey. A fleshy piece on the end of their spines near their noses acts like an “angler’s pole” by being dangled below and can attract smaller fish and crustaceans closer for a bite. Furthermore, batfish release an aromatic fluid similar to perfume that further draws potential prey close.

But the most captivating aspect of these odd fishes are their bright red lips. While not much information exists on batfishes, experts speculate that their bright red lips serve as an attractant during mating season when male batfish vibrate their pectoral fins to attract female batfish, who then deposit their eggs on male pelvic fins until hatching occurs.

This iconic species can be found all around the world in tropical or temperate waters, though its population is particularly abundant off Peru and Galapagos Islands. Preferring bottom dwelling life beneath coral reefs or beneath sand banks, but also found as deep as 76 meters!

Batfishes may not be endangered species, but it’s still essential that we protect this rare and beautiful creature and its environment. Climate change and coral bleaching pose threats for this species in Galapagos Islands; luckily these islands host some amazing underwater ecosystems with protected areas – hopefully protecting these will save some of these incredible marine organisms that exist elsewhere.

Crysomallon squamiferum

Chrysomallon squamiferum may look like something from an anime film, but this real creature lives deep sea. This unusual snail builds its skeleton out of iron plates layered upon itself as armor; even its outer layer shell contains iron sulphides; its dermal scales cover its feet too! Designed to protect it against predators as well as high temperatures found at hydrothermal vents where it lives, its unique armor protects this unique snail against dangers that threaten it such as predators.

The scaly-foot snail stands out among hydrothermal vent species as an unusual creature, even among them. Its shell features three layers, with an inner layer composed of calcified cells similar to other gastropods and an outer layer reinforced with iron sulphides. Furthermore, its feet are covered in dermal scales while it boasts one of the largest hearts relative to size in all animal kingdom due to the presence of symbiotic bacteria living inside that help provide much of its food source.

Although remarkable adaptations are evident in its survival, the scaly-foot snail is on the verge of extinction. It was recently named the first mollusk ever placed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List as it faces threats from deep-sea mining activities; only found at three hydrothermal vent fields across Indian Ocean where two are being explored for possible mining opportunities.

The scaly-foot snail is native to the area surrounding the Kairei hydrothermal vent field on the Central Indian Ridge, where volcanic activity heats water and magma to heat and rise, producing chimney-like structures with hot sulfur-rich fluids. Furthermore, they inhabit areas of high seas less protected and more open for mining exploration than their respective national territories.