SEA MONSTERS AND MONSTERS OF OCEAN DEPTHS
The waters of the world's oceans hide the most incredible landscape on Earth. But the light penetrates everything several tens of meters below the surface of the water, and the ocean depths are pitch black. When exploring the depths, new types of strange creatures are constantly being discovered. In this article we want to tell you aboutsea ​​monsters and monsters of the deep oceans.

The water temperature in such places is extremely low, sometimes reaching 2-4 degrees Celsius. Main stream nutrients comes from above, these are organo-mineral particles, which scientists call sea snow, or the remains of dead animals, with even more interesting name rain of corpses.




The oceans cover more than 70% of the surface of our planet, man has so far studied no more than 10% of everything that happens in the waters of the world's oceans. Today we want to talk about the inhabitants of the ocean depths, living at depths of more than 200-300 meters. Life at such depths left an imprint on the underwater inhabitants. For the most part, they have a transparent color, due to the lack of light, most of them have the finest vision, the rest are generally deprived of it. The bottom at a depth is usually covered with silt, so those who move along the bottom have long limbs, stilts.














Many animals use bioluminescence to illuminate or attract prey, some, in this way, maintain communication, indicate the danger that lies in wait for those who try to encroach on their lives. Thus, in the deep sea world, luminescence communication plays a greater role than sound communication. Thus, the inhabitants of the deep have adapted to survival.







Having dropped to an incredible depth of over 400 meters, scientists stumbled upon a hitherto unknown creature, similar to a giant transparent snake, glowing along the entire length of its body. The dimensions amaze everyone, it was more than 41 meters long. This is something unimaginable, beautiful, respectful and fearful. Along the entire length of the body of this transparent snake, almost no visible to the eye transparent, thin tentacles, falling into which no fish can escape. Scientists came to a dead end when they tried to classify this animal, whether it is a colonial or an individual super-organism. And yet they decided that this is a super organism that catches fish in its hanging tentacles, as you can see in the photo.




We once wrote about rare fish Macropine, which has a transparent head through which its brain is visible, the eyes are located inside the dome and directed upward. For a long time, scientists could not understand how this fish eats, if it has no idea what it is, while its eyes are directed upwards. But after long observation, scientists have found that she is able to rotate her eyeballs forward. So Makropina follows a forty-meter snake, and when she sees a fish stuck in the tentacles of a predator, she pulls it out, turns her eyes in front and swims away.
Unfortunately for scientists, it is not possible to catch all types of organisms they observe at a depth, as the dome of Macropina raised to the surface bursts due to a pressure drop, which complicates the study of this species. Or how do you imagine raising to the surface from a depth of forty meters a snake that looks more like a jellyfish.
So scientists, not being able to obtain visual samples, only classify deep-sea inhabitants and draw conclusions by observing them.

Nowadays, scientists are very concerned about industrial fishing, when after catching tens of tons of fish that are in demand in the markets, there is only a small part of the catch, the rest is simply thrown away. The discarded catch contains many deep-sea species, the population of which is rapidly declining.
Just like trees, there are rings on the bones of fish, which indicate the age of the fish, usually fish live for about 20-30 years, but after learning data from slices of deep-sea fish, scientists were shocked. average age caught deep-sea monsters was 200 years old! So it turns out that the slaves who lived for two hundred years were exterminated overnight, the restoration of the population will take much longer than catching them. According to calculations, ocean fish can be caught by the middle of the next century, the figure is terrifying to scientists.



Unfortunately, collecting the catch from the bottom with nets, fishermen catch not only fish, but also corals, which are the most important for the life of the oceans.

Next, we would like to present to your attention a video of underwater filming. sea ​​monsters, the inhabitants of the depths.

From time immemorial, people have been fascinated by the beauty and power of the ocean. The bottomless waters of the seas have always kept some kind of secret and danger. Stories and legends tell of monsters living in the depths of the sea.

Do you believe in them? Let's talk about the most famous ones.

Loch Ness monster

The most famous sea monster, which, according to by and large, is freshwater and not marine, but it is possible that it can live in salt water.

He is also often called Nessie.

This unknown creature was first discovered in 1933, and there is still no clear evidence that it existed or exists.

Photos of him appear in the press from time to time, but scientific communities all countries doubt their authenticity.

Nevertheless, it remains one of the most popular legendary creatures, and many researchers are still trying to find evidence of its existence.

Although most scientists do not believe in Nessie, they admit that if it does exist, it is a descendant of a "dinosaur" with long neck and webbed paws.

They say that the animal is completely harmless and prefers to eat only fish.

The name Iku-Turso translates as "thousand-horned" or "having a thousand tentacles." In modern Finnish, his name can be translated as "octopus"

In Finnish mythology, there is a mention of the malicious Iku-Turso, which is also called the eternal Turso.

Lives in Atlantic Ocean, wreaking havoc wherever it appears.

Its appearance is quite interesting. He is portrayed as a horned and bearded monster, which, judging by its appearance, clearly does not feed on fish.

They say that before he was very dangerous, but the Finnish epic "Kalevala" says that once Iku-Turso was captured and gave his word in exchange for the freedom to behave well.

Now he lives only in the ocean, and does not appear on land.

In Japanese folk tales, there is a character named Umibodzu.

It is said that when the priest drowned, his spirit was filled with the power of the ocean and turned into a huge dark-headed creature, outwardly similar to a man.

However, Umibodzu is not only the soul of a drowned priest.

Any restless souls of the dead are now called this word.

Attempts to communicate with them cause a storm, and the ships sink.

Sometimes Umibodzu asks the sailors to give him a barrel, but if you do, he will immediately grab you and drown you in the same barrel.

Hydra protects lakes and oceans, it can live in salt and fresh water.

Hydra is huge and almost impossible to kill.

If one head is cut off, two new ones will grow in its place.

Greek hero Hercules, who for some reason is often called Hercules, ultimately defeated her.

He was helped in this by his nephew, who noticed that if one head was cut off and burned with fire, new heads would not appear.

So, Hydra was defeated by two brave Greeks, but the fact that even Hercules, known for his incredible strength, needed help to fight her, speaks of how powerful she is.

Any huge one is called Leviathan, but did you know that it is also mentioned in the Bible?

The Book of Job tells about him and describes him as a powerful fire-breathing creature. incredible size.

They say that it was impossible to kill him, and the monster died by itself from old age.

Most illustrations of the monster show it as a snake or whale with a long, fat body.

Leviathan's powerful body, huge teeth and evil nature terrify all sailors forced to sail the oceans.

The sea monster lives in the ocean waters off the coast of Norway and Greenland.

He is depicted as giant squid or a person who has squid tentacles instead of arms.

The only thing that is invariable in its appearance is its size. The kraken is huge! Even legendary gods and heroes are lost against its background.

Anyone who cares about life will beware of him if he moves to Norway by sea. This sinister hates people and will do everything possible to destroy them.

Watch out for him! However, he is not the most terrible. More terrible, bigger and more powerful than him ...

Jormungand - character Norse mythology also called Jormungand, Midgardsorm, Serpent of Midgard or World Serpent

Jormungand is so huge that it can easily embrace the whole Earth.

Have you heard of the Norse god Thor, the incredibly powerful lord of lightning? So he will be poisoned to death by Jormungand during the end of the world, or Ragnarok.

Imagine, Jormungand also has poison! It would seem that its one size is enough to easily deal with anyone.

Jormungand is the most dangerous and huge sea monster that has no equal.

It turns out that sharks in the ocean are not the worst thing. There is a whole crowd of sea monsters, in comparison with which, even a large White shark will seem harmless crucian carp.


The modern ocean is home to many incredible creatures many of which we have no idea about. You never know what is hidden there - in the dark cold depths. However, none of them can compare with the ancient monsters that dominated the world's oceans millions of years ago.

In this article, we will tell you about the lizards, carnivorous fish and predatory whales that terrorized marine life in prehistoric times.

1. Giant stingray

What is it: 5 meters in diameter, a poisonous spike with a length of 25 on the tail, and strength enough to drag a boat full of people behind it? In this case, it's an eerie-looking flat sea ​​creature, from prehistoric times to the present day inhabiting salt waters from the Mekong River to Australia itself.

Stingrays have lived quietly in the waters of Australia since the dinosaurs and the huge predatory sharks from which they descended became extinct. They originated in prehistoric times, but they managed to survive all the ice ages, and even the terrible eruption of the Toba volcano. They are very dangerous and should not be approached. Even if you think that they are not around, you can be wrong - they are great at disguising.

They are dangerous in that they can attack you with a poisonous spike with a neurotoxin or simply damage vital organs. The plus is that these prehistoric monsters are not so aggressive and will not try to eat you.

2.Livyatan melvillei

Earlier in this article, we talked about predatory whales. Melville's Leviathan is the most terrifying of them all. Imagine a huge killer whale / sperm whale hybrid. This monster was not just carnivorous - it killed and ate other whales. He had the largest teeth of any animal known to us.

Their length sometimes reached 37 centimeters! They lived in the same oceans at the same time and ate the same food as megalodons, thus competing with the largest predatory shark of the time.

Their huge head was equipped with the same echo sounder attachments as modern whales, making them more successful in hunting. muddy water... If someone was not clear from the very beginning, this animal was named after Leviathan - the giant sea monster from the Bible and Herman Melville, who wrote the famous "Moby Dick". If Moby Dick was one of the Leviathans, he would certainly have eaten the Pequod with his entire crew.

3. Helicoprion

This shark was 4.5 meters long, the lower jaw was a kind of curl, studded with teeth. She looked like a hybrid of a shark with a circular saw, and everyone knows that when dangerous power tools become part of the predator that is at the top the food chain, the whole world is in awe.

The teeth of the helicopryon were serrated, which clearly indicates the carnivorousness of this sea monster, but scientists still do not know for certain whether the jaw was pushed forward as in the photo, or whether it was pushed a little deep into the mouth.

These creatures survived the mass Triassic extinction, which could indicate their high intelligence, but their habitation could also be the reason.

4. Kronosaurus

Kronosaurus is another short-necked dinosaur, similar in appearance to Lyopleurosis. Remarkably, its true length is also known only approximately. It is believed that it reached 10 meters, and his teeth reached 30 cm in length. That is why it was named after Kronos, the king of the ancient Greek titans.

Now guess where this monster lived. If your guess was related to Australia, then you are absolutely correct. The head of a Kronosaurus was about 3 meters long and it was able to swallow an entire adult. In addition, after that, there was room inside the animal for one more half.

Also, due to the fact that the flippers of kronosaurs were similar in structure to the flippers of a turtle, scientists concluded that they were very distantly related and assumed that kronosaurs also got out on land to lay their eggs. In any case, we can be sure that no one dared to destroy the nests of these sea monsters.

5. Dunkleosteus

Dunkleosteus was ten meters predatory monster... Huge sharks lived much longer than dunkleosteae, but this did not mean that they were the best predators. Instead of teeth, the dunkleosteae had bony outgrowths, like some species of modern turtles. Scientists calculated that the force of their bite was equal to 1500 kilograms per square centimeter, which put them on a par with crocodiles and tyrannosaurs and made them one of the creatures with the strongest bite.

Based on the facts about their jaw muscles, scientists concluded that the dunkleosteus could open its mouth in one-fiftieth of a second, absorbing everything in its path. As the fish matured, a single bony dental plate was replaced by a segmented one, which made it easier to get food and bite through the thick shells of other fish. In the arms race called the prehistoric ocean, the Dunkleosteus was a very well-armored, heavy tank.

6. Mauisaurus haasti

Mauisaurus was named after ancient god Maori Maui, who, according to legend, pulled the skeletons of New Zealand from the bottom of the ocean with a hook, so that only by the name you can understand that this animal was huge. The Mauisaur's neck was about 15 meters long, which is quite a lot compared to its total length of 20 meters.

His incredible neck had many vertebrae, which gave it a special flexibility. Imagine a tortoise without a shell with an amazingly long neck - something like this creepy creature looked like.

He lived during Cretaceous, which meant that the unfortunate creatures jumping into the water to escape from velociraptors and tyrannosaurs were forced to face these sea monsters. Mauisaur habitats were confined to the waters of New Zealand, indicating that all inhabitants were in danger.

7. Shellfish (Jaekelopterus rhenaniae)

Not surprisingly, the words "sea scorpion" only evoke negative emotions however, this member of the list was the creepiest of them all. Jaekelopterus rhenaniae is special kind shellfish, which was the largest and most terrifying arthropod of the time: 2.5 meters of pure clawed terror under its shell.

Many of us are terrified of small ants or large spiders, but imagine the full spectrum of fear experienced by a person who would not be lucky enough to meet this sea monster.

On the other hand, these creepy creatures became extinct even before the event that killed all dinosaurs and 90% of life on Earth. Only a few species of crabs survived, which are not so scary. There is no evidence that the ancients sea ​​scorpions were poisonous, however, based on the structure of their tail, we can conclude that perhaps this was indeed the case.

8. Basilosaurus

Despite the name and appearance, they are not reptiles, as it might seem at first glance. In fact, these are real whales (and not the most frightening in this squeak!). Basilosaurs were the predatory ancestors of modern whales, and their lengths ranged from 15 to 25 meters. It is described as a whale that somewhat resembles a snake due to its length and ability to wriggle.

It is difficult to imagine that, while swimming in the ocean, one could stumble upon a huge creature similar to a snake, a whale and a crocodile at the same time 20 meters long. The fear of the ocean would have stuck with you for a long time.

Physical evidence suggests that basilosaurs did not have the same cognitive abilities as modern whales. In addition, they did not have the ability to echolocate and could only move in two dimensions (which means that they could not actively dive and dive to great depths). Thus, this terrible predator was as stupid as a bag of prehistoric tools and would not have been able to chase you if you dived or went ashore.

9. Liopleurodon

If there was a water scene in Jurassic Park that included several of the sea monsters of the time, Liopleurodon would certainly appear in it. Despite the fact that scientists argue about the real length of this animal (some argue that it reached 15 meters), most of them agree that it was about 6 meters, with a fifth of the length occupied by the pointed head of liopleurodon.

Many people think that 6 meters is not so much, but the smallest representative of these monsters is able to swallow an adult. Scientists have recreated a model of Liopleurodon's fins and tested them.

In the course of research, they found that these prehistoric animals were not so fast, but they were agile. They were also capable of making short, quick and sharp attacks like those used by modern crocodiles, making them even more intimidating.

10. Megalodon

The Megalodon is arguably the most famous creature on this list, but it's hard to imagine that a school bus-sized shark actually existed at one time or another. Nowadays, there are many different scientific films and programs about these amazing monsters.

Contrary to popular belief, megalodons did not coexist with dinosaurs. They dominated the seas from 25 to 1.5 million years ago, which means that they missed the last dinosaur by 40 million years. In addition, this means that the first people found these sea monsters alive.

Megalodon's home was warm ocean that existed until the last ice age in the early Pleistocene, and it is believed that it was he who deprived these huge sharks of food and the opportunity to breed. Perhaps, in this way, nature has protected modern mankind from terrible predators.

11. Dakosaurus

Traces of the existence of dacosaurs were first found in Germany. These predatory creatures, resembling a hybrid of a reptile and a fish, dominated the ocean during jurassic... Their remains were found in a vast territory from Russia to England and Argentina.

Although this sea monster has been compared to modern crocodiles, its length averaged about 5 meters. Its huge and unique teeth have led scientists to conclude that Dacosaurs were at the top of the food chain in their day.

12. Nothosaurus

Despite the fact that the body length of notosaurs was only 4 meters, they were aggressive hunters. Their mouths were full of sharp teeth and they ate mainly fish and squid. It was believed that the Notosaurs were the real experts on ambushes and their bodies were ideal for sneaking up on the victim and taking her by surprise. It is believed that notosaurs are inextricably linked with pliosaurs - another genus marine predators... The remains found indicate that they lived in Triassic over 200 million years ago.

Material translated from the site: toptenz.net


Surely many have heard, and someone has seen a photo of sea monsters. However, most people consider them to be fiction, a kind of "horror story". Is it really? We will talk about this in our article.

Prehistoric sea monsters

We will begin our conversation with an acquaintance with animals that have already disappeared from our planet. Millions of years ago, huge sea monsters lived in the depths of the seas and oceans. One of them is Dacosaurus. His remains were first discovered in Germany. Then they were found in a rather vast territory - from Russia to Argentina.

Sometimes it is compared to a modern crocodile, with the only difference that the dacosaurus reached five meters in length. Its powerful teeth and jaws gave researchers reason to believe that it was the main marine predator of its time.

Notosaurus

These sea monsters were slightly smaller than a dacosaur. Their bodies did not exceed four meters in length. But the Notosaurus was also a formidable and aggressive predator. Outwardly directed teeth served as his main weapon. The diet of these animals consisted of fish and squid. Scientists claim that notosaurs ambushed their prey. Possessing the smooth body of a reptile, they sneaked up to the prey silently, attacked and ate it. Notosaurs were closely related to pliosaurs (a type of deep sea predator). As a result of the study of fossil remains, it became obvious that these sea monsters lived in the Triassic period.

Did you know that scary creatures live at the bottom of the ocean? The truth is that we know more about our universe than about the oceans on our own planet. In fact, even to this day, we are discovering new creatures hiding in depths where it does not even penetrate sunlight... To be honest, some of these deep sea creatures are pretty creepy. Here are 25 of the scariest sea monsters you didn't know about!

25. Tongue-eating crustacean

We'll start small. This terrible creature enters the fish through the gills, eats its tongue, and then sticks to the place where it used to be.

24. Chimera


Photo: wikimedia commons

Ratfish or Ghostfish, the chimera is known as one of the oldest fish in existence today. They live very deeply, in the dark, so the appearance of this monster will definitely be reflected in your nightmares. Just take a look at this face!

23. Corrugated Shark


Photo: commons.wikimedia.org

With a triple row of sharp teeth, this deep sea ​​shark can wreak havoc on anything it catches. Plus, she just looks creepy.

22. Lobster "Terrible Claw"


Photo: commons.wikimedia.org

Discovered off the coast of the Philippines in 2007, this lobster was very aptly named. Look at these claws! This guy could cut you into pieces like a head of cheese.

21. Water Bear


Photo: commons.wikimedia.org

While most of the creatures on our list are fairly large, these are tiny. Even ... microscopic! What's odd about them is their durability. They can survive in almost any temperature, and they can also live without water for over ten years!

20. Mola-Mola


Photo: commons.wikimedia.org

Also known as Sun Pisces or Moon Pisces, sounds pretty good right? But, think again, because she weighs over 900 kg! And while the fish won't attack you (they feed on jellyfish), they can be quite intimidating when you see the fish with the heaviest bones approaching you!

19. Giant squid


Photo: pixabay

These monsters can grow up to 18 meters in length. And their eyes are as big as beach balls! And yes, their eating habits are as dire as you can imagine. They grab their prey with tentacles and then shove it into their beak. The squid then grinds it up with its teeth-covered tongue before the food enters the esophagus. It looks a lot like a meat grinder.

18. Pelagic Bigmouth Shark


Photo: commons.wikimedia.org

Discovered in 1976, this huge shark attracts plankton with light that comes from its mouth. Don't float into the light!

17. Galper eel


Photo: fishbase.org

Considering that these Marine life live at a depth of thousands of meters, little is known about them. But, we know for sure that the huge jaws of the fish allow it to swallow prey as large as itself.

16. Goblin Shark


Photo: commons.wikimedia.org

Just looking at this shark will make most of us shudder. Moreover, the mouth of truly terrifying creatures seems to separate during the hunt in order to grab prey more quickly.

15. Grenadier


Photo: commons.wikimedia.org

Although the Grenadier looks a little strange, the disgusting factor is not always commensurate with the appearance. This deep sea fish emits a terrible odor due to the high level of trimethylamine oxide it contains.

14. Pike blend


Photo: commons.wikimedia.org

Although this fish is practically safe for humans, when the dog is in danger, it opens its huge mouth to scare away predators. Human or not, one glance at it would make you get out of the way as soon as possible.

13. Giant isopod


Photo: en.wikipedia.org

Found at a depth of almost 2000 meters, these scavengers can grow up to 3 meters or more in length. Moreover, they existed even before the dinosaurs. How? They know how to survive. For four years, these creatures can do without food. Even if they will not eat you, just imagine that you stumble upon such a creature at the depths of the sea. In fact, it is just a sea cockroach, which is larger than a person. And we are afraid of cockroaches when they are only a few centimeters in length….

12. Fanged fish


Photo: wikimedia commons

These bad guys live 5,000 meters below the surface. Here water pressure can crush a person. If you don’t get crushed, prepare yourself to be mashed up by horrible teeth. In fact, this aptly named underwater monster boasts the most big teeth relative to the size of its body, among other fish.

11. Fish-toothed


Photo: wikimedia commons

This creepy fish has hooked teeth that help it catch its prey. In addition, she lives in incredible depths, where sunlight does not penetrate. So if you ever happen to see this terrifying creature, its glowing skin and nightmarish teeth will probably leave you with horrible memories!

10. Black Dragonfish


Photo: wikimedia commons

With razor-sharp teeth, this alien-like fish lives deep in the ocean and generates its own light.

9. Giant Spider Crab


Photo: commons.wikimedia.org

Sometimes the size just scares us. Descending to a depth of 300 meters, you will find the largest crab on Earth. It can be up to 4 meters!

8. Pacific Snake Fish


Photo: wikimedia commons

Living many kilometers below the surface of the ocean, these creatures boast teeth so large that they cannot even close their mouths.

7. Squid is a vampire


Photo: commons.wikimedia.org

His name, Vampyroteuthis infernalis, literally translates to "vampire squid from hell." Why? This underwater squid lives underwater, where sunlight does not penetrate, and if you attack it, the squid will turn inside out, exposing dozens of thorny spines. What could be worse? Imagine if a person did this ...

6. Drop fish


Photo: commons.wikimedia.org

While this creature will do you no harm, it can overwhelm you with any desire to go on a deep sea dive. The drop fish was even called "the ugliest creature" and, looking at this photo, it becomes clear why. She is so disgusting that it gets scary!

5. Johnson Melanocet (Humpbacked Monkfish)


Photo: en.wikipedia.org

This deep-sea monster lures its prey with a glowing stick that sticks out of its head.

4. Grimpoteutis (Octopus Dumbo)


Photo: wikimedia commons

While they may look quite cute, these guys are known to wrap their prey in ruffle-like arms before they eat it.

3. Barrel-Eye Fish (Ghost Fish)


Photo: wikimedia commons

This utterly insane looking deep sea creature has a transparent head, which allows the fish to look upward with its barrel-shaped eyes. Imagine that while you are swimming in ocean depth, a transparent head with two disgusting eyes inside is approaching you. Although this fish will not eat you, its disgusting appearance is enough to regret this meeting.

2. Fish-stargazer


Photo: en.wikipedia.org

They burrow into the ocean floor, exposing their bulging orb-eyes. When the unfortunate fish swims up, they ... eat it.

1. Black gulper


Photo: wikimedia commons

Perhaps the scariest creature on our list, this fish can swallow prey more than twice its size and 10 times its weight.