The 10 most bizarre creatures found in the ocean in 2021

The deep sea may be the answer for those looking for bizarre creatures, regardless of their origins. This year, marine biologists have captured amazing footage of the motion at the bottom of the ocean, home to "alien"-like creatures and even strange new species. hide.

Here is a list of the 10 strangest deep-sea creatures published by Live Science magazine. 

Jellyfish red like blood

An entirely new and unnamed species of blood-red jellyfish has been discovered by researchers from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) via a remote-controlled vehicle (ROV) in the Pacific Ocean. to a depth of about 700 meters, just off the coast of Newport, Rhode Island, USA.

Many deep-sea creatures have evolved a similar red color because red wavelengths of light do not penetrate the deep ocean. This means that red animals will be seen as black, and dodge large predators. 

Glass octopus 

In 2021, researchers from the Schmidt Oceanographic Institute (SOI) discovered a glass octopus (scientific name: Vitreledonella richardi) off the coast of the Phoenix Islands, located a little more than Sydney, Australia. 5,100 km. 

Like other "glass" creatures, such as glass frogs, comb jelly. the glass octopus is almost completely transparent, only its cylindrical eyes, optic nerve and digestive tract. appear in color. mat.

Whale changes shape

The Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) has released footage showing a strange, bright orange female whale of the order Cetomimiformes, at a depth of about 2,013 meters off the coast of Monterey Bay, California, USA.

Very little is known about this strange fish. What attracts scientists is their shape by stage of development and sex. They looked so different that at first they thought they were different species. The transformation from juvenile to adult female is said to be one of the most extreme acts of any vertebrate.

Dumbo Emperor Octopus

In May, researchers discovered an entirely new species of Dumbo octopus (scientific name: Grimpteuthis imperator), nicknamed the "Dumbo Emperor". 

It was accidentally pulled out of the water in a net. Their tentacles and ear fins are oversized, like the ears of Dumbo elephant in the famous Disney animated movie. 

Sponge and starfish like "best friends"

SpongeBob Squarepants and Patrick Star.

A funny photo of real life replicas of SpongeBob Squarepants and Patrick Star cartoon characters discovered side by side on the seabed.

This is an image of a yellow, square-shaped sponge and a pink five-pointed starfish captured by the ROV camera on July 27, at a depth of 1,885 meters during an expedition by the Retriever Seamount outboard. off the coast of New England. 

Strange squid like aliens

In November, NOAA scientists discovered a rare large-fin squid (of the genus Magnapinna) during an expedition in the Gulf of Mexico. 

The ghost squid has a very strange body with huge, iridescent fins and peculiar elbow-like curves on its tentacles. This is said to be very unusual for a squid. 

Giant ghost jellyfish

In November, MBARI released rare footage of the giant ghost jellyfish (scientific name: Stygiomedusa gigantea). It looked like a giant dark gray jelly, with a bell cap about 3 meters wide and giant armband-like tentacles, up to 10 meters long. 

Not much is known about ghost jellyfish, but scientists think they use their "arms" to trap prey and pull them to their mouths. 

Purple-backed ghost squid

The giant ghost squid, also known as the giant squid (scientific name: Sthenoteuthis oualaniensis) was accidentally encountered by scientists while investigating a shipwreck in the Gulf of Aqaba.

It was found at a depth of about 850 meters, with a total body length of about 2 meters, roughly the maximum size of the species. The squid's tail is dark black, thick, spreading like a fish's tail. 

The trail printed on the bottom of the sea

An example of the strange trails left by sponges as they crawl through the seabed in the Arctic was found in April. This is the first evidence of sponges crawling around the sea floor, after the Researchers took pictures of the strange brown tracks left by amazingly mobile creatures in the Arctic. 

An empty eye fish with a transparent head

Footage of a barley fish, or drumhead fish (scientific name: Macropinna microstoma) recorded by MBARI scientists in the Monterey Underground Gorge, at a depth of about 650 meters. 

They live in the deep ocean, possessing a transparent head with eyes that are two green tubular spheres located on the top of the head. The eyes are surrounded by transparent shield-shaped organs filled with fluid. Scientists have only discovered this species nine times before.

According to Live Science