Creepy Deep-Sea Animals

Page 2 of 2

Are There Fish That Blink?

• The Viperfish Blinks

A snake or a fish? Both, kind of! The viperfish has teeth that look very similar to the venom fangs of a viper snake. They use these to stab their prey. But this isn’t actually the most interesting thing about them. All over its body, it has up to 1,500 light organs. When touched, its whole body lights up! The viperfish lives at depths of up to 9,842 feet (3,000 meters).

Viperfish Viperfish - Illustration: EreborMountain/Shutterstock

Deep Sea Zones Deep Sea Zones - Illustration: NoPainNoGain/Shutterstock

ADVERTISEMENT - ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW

• The Angler Fish Uses Light to Fish for Fish

The angler fish didn’t get its name by chance. Over its head, there is a very small fin-like growth that looks like a fishing rod. At the end, there’s a little bag of light-emitting bacteria. It looks like this fish is fishing for other fish. Small animals are magically “drawn” to its “light bulb” - and this leads them straight into the angler fish’s mouth.

By the way:

Are There Animals That Glow Like Lightbulbs?

• Sea Squirts Also Have Light Bulbs

It might not be a fish, rather a tunicate, but it’s still interesting: from around 3,280 feet (1,000 meters), animals are pretty much in pitch black. But you can still see some of them pretty well, as they have their own light organs or use light-emitting bacteria. They don’t try to illuminate their surroundings, but use the light to recognize each other or to communicate with each other.

Sea Squirt Sea Squirt - Photo: Ethan Daniels/Shutterstock

How Do You Observe Animals in the Deep Sea?

It’s a real challenge to see them, as you can’t just bring them up to the surface. The pressure up here is much lower, and the animals would meet a nasty end. Divers aren’t built to survive the strong pressure under the water. At the moment, only special diving robots can take photos and videos and then bring them back up.

ADVERTISEMENT - ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW