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11 Of The Most Weirdest Looking Sea Creatures

The sea contains unimaginable mysteries. Here we have the 11 weirdest looking sea creatures.

Lionfish

lionfish

This colorful fish is also called Pterois and it is an extremely toxic species. Its body is covered with needle like projections that is filled with venom based on nitric oxide. Although the venom is not deadly to humans it can cause extreme amount of pain and localized swelling. Their colorful looks warn most animals to stay away, but humans are tempted to touch them for their exotic look.

Salp

Salp

Salps are marine creatures that live in cold waters, near the Antarctica. They eat plankton and reproduce at a fast pace, especially when they have an abundant food. Their fast reproduction cycle serves to help clean the ocean floors. Their fecal waste and bodies act like fertilizer for the sea bed due to the substantial amount of carbon they produce.

Axolotl

Axolotl

This little cute sea creature’s name comes from Nahuatl. Axolotl means “sea monster.” Other names for this creature are Mexican Salamander, Mexican Walking Fish or its scientific name Ambystoma Mexicanum. Unfortunately, it is close to being extinct. Its natural habitat was in Lake Chalco and Lake Xochimilco in Mexico’s Valley. Lake Chalco was drained due to Mexico City’s growth in population while Lake Xochimilco remains a small body of water. However, most axolotls today are kept in captivity.

Blobfish

blobfish

This baby blobfish lives in the sea waters of Australia, New Zealand, and Tasmania. Its body is made up of low-density flesh which in turn makes the fish seem distorted when it is out of water. Fortunately when it is swimming, it looks more like your typical fish. For its weird looks, this species has been the talk of the town. In 2013, the blobfish was voted as the “World’s Ugliest Animal.” Shortly after that it was adopted by the Ugly Animal Preservation Society as a mascot.

Water Bear

water bear

Tardigrades are also known as Water Bears because they resemble bears in the way they look and  walk. Johann August Ephraim Goeze is the German zoologist who first discovered them in 1773 and gave them their peculiar name. They are extremely small and as an adult can measure up to 1.5 mm while a new water bear could be less than 0.05 mm. They are highly resistant to extreme conditions and can continue to live even near temperatures of absolute zero.

Deep Sea Dragonfish

deep-sea dragonfish

The deep sea dragonfish has served to inspire characters for many movies. There are over two hundred different species in the Stomiidae family with the barbeled dragonfish being the most well known (Just think Finding Nemo). Its main characteristic is that it produces its own light. Since they live deep in the Atlantic Ocean where light does not reach, they adapted by having light producing organs called photophores. Along with the organs the photophores are also found on the pectoral fins.

Frilled Shark

frilled-shark

The Frilled shark was first discovered in the 19th century. However due to its low reproductive rate and the expansion of fisherman, The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) listed it as near threatened. This shark was named after its gills and it contains twenty five rows of backwards facing teeth. That’s three hundred teeth in total.

Smooth Stingray

smooth-stingray

The Smooth Stingray is also known as short-tail stingray. This sea creature might seem friendly but you don’t want to see it get mad. Its tail is its most deadly weapon. They are not violent by nature and only use their tail as self-defense from sharks or other predators. The smooth stingray can grow as big as 4.25 meters(14 ft) and can weigh up to 340 kilos.

Globefish

globefish

Globefish’s official name is Tetraodontidae. The spikey profile of this exotic fish has also given him a long list of names like balloonfish, swellfish, pufferfish, bubble fish, blowfish, puffer, globefish, toadfish, sea squab, honey toad, toadie, and sugar toad. Their skin has tetrodotoxin which is extremely toxic. Nevertheless, they are used as a meal in Japan by specially trained chefs and even then you can experience a slight numbing as you eat the flesh.

Dumbo Octopus

dumbo-octopus

Other names for the Dumbo Octopus are Dumbo octopod or just Dumbo. Their scientific name is Grimpoteuthis and they live in deep waters. The Dumbo octopus has a prominent ear-like fins on either side of its head. while some can look short and yellow, others can look like jellyfish with one big brown walking shoe. While all have suckers on their webbed arms some have spines as well. The average lifespan of dumbo octopus is between 3 and 5 years.

Vampire Squid

vampire-squid

The vampire squid is also known by its scientific name Vampyroteuthis infernalis. It looks like a mix of a squid and octopus and was first classified as octopus when discovered in 1903. Because the long arms are connected by thin flesh, it creates a cape like appearance. They can vary in color from jet-black to a pale red depending on lighting conditions. The arms have suckers that are hard to see unless you look in the right place. The suckers can only be found on the arms farthest from the body while the others have spines. Like the dragonfish, the vampire squid is also covered in photophores creating flashes of light. It doesn’t have ink to shoot out when it feels it is being threatened. Instead this type of squid offers a type of mucus that shoots out. Yuck!

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Written by OhShit

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