Marine Biologists Find Stunning Sea Creatures You Won’t Believe Are Actually Real

The Navy first used acoustics to measure the ocean depths in the 1930s. And at the time, the area they thought to be the bottom of the sea would change throughout the day.

But it turns out the sea bottom was actually a layer of animals that travel en masse. And they moved thousands of feet below the water’s surface throughout the day and night.

So they call it the ocean “twilight zone,” and it’s chock full of insane marine life.

Squidworm

This four-inch annelid was only recently discovered in the Coral Triangle, between Indonesia and the Philippines. It gets its name on account of the 10 tentacle-like appendages on its head, which it uses to collect floating food particles.

Rhizophysa

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Like the Squidworm, the Rhizophysa measures out at only four inches in length. Unlike the Squidworm, the Rhizophysa is a predatory creature whose tentacles can extend several feet in search of prey.

It’s actually similar to the Portuguese man o’ war, a venomous hydrozoan with a painful and powerful sting.

Deepwater Squid

At first glance, one might look at the Deepwater Squid and think, This little guy is adorable. At only six inches, it’s hard to think otherwise. But this deep-sea creature is still a predator, and it uses both bioluminescence and color-changing spots to catch its prey.

Hatchetfish

The Hatchetfish is unique in its use of its bioluminescent photophores. Rather than lighting up to catch prey, the Hatchetfish uses counter-illumination to escape predators.

It can match the level of light coming from the water’s surface, so to predatory creatures below, it doesn’t look like anything at all.