Today, about 30 thousand species of fish have been discovered and described. Some of them boast such an unusual appearance that it is hard to believe that they are really fish. Some other representatives of these aquatic vertebrates are so rare that very little is known about them.
The most unusual and rare fish are often found at great depths (sometimes 300-500 meters underwater) and never rise close to the surface. The underwater world is still fraught with many secrets, many of which we have yet to uncover.
The rarest fish
Blind fish climbing on rocks
Found in the subtropical regions of Thailand, the cave fish species Cryptotora thamicola lost vision and pigmentation during evolution. But this is not its only feature. This strange fish has adapted to fast cave currents: it can climb vertical surfaces.
The rough, sticky undersurface of its large fins allows the fish to climb and stay on slippery rocks in conditions fast currents and even climb under waterfalls!
Rare fish of the world
Catfish that lives without water
Quite a rare and little-studied fish from the order Catfish- the only one famous fish, which can live without water. It is enough for her to glide along the wet surface of leaves on the banks of streams and rivers.
This slippery fish is somewhat reminiscent of a worm; it has no eyes, apparently because it spends most of its time underground. Nothing more is known about her.
Sole
Fishes from the squad Flounder(lat. Pleuronectiformes) - representatives of very strange vertebrates. Although they are born as completely normal fish, their skulls gradually become deformed as they age until both eyes are on the same plane. This feature allows the fish to acquire a flat body and skillfully camouflage itself on the seabed.
Fish sea tongues families Cynoglossaceae they went even further: they completely lost their pectoral fins and developed a smooth, teardrop-shaped body. Many species have an arched mouth.
Rare fish species
Sea devils
Fish monkfish families Thaumatichthaceae boast one of the strangest appearances in the animal kingdom. The upper jaw of these fish is often several times larger than the lower jaw; it is also capable of folding in half, allowing the fish to more easily suck prey into the throat. Each member of the family has a luminescent prey lure protruding directly above its mouth.
Long probe from the squad monkfish have a very long bait, which can be 10 times longer than the body of the fish itself. It is interesting that all these creatures swim upside down, but none of the scientists can really say why.
Another family of monkfish - Pipistrelles- resemble the offspring of a turtle and a chicken. These fish have adapted to move along the seabed using their fins, which are used as paws.
Thus, the fish seem to walk along the sandy bottom, looking for prey.
Mudskipper
One of the most famous fish, which has the peculiarity of living out of water - mudskipper. She belongs to the family Bychkov and spends most of his time climbing the clayey banks. On land, these fish can move much faster than under water.
The gill cavities of these fish are able to retain water for a long time. If their body remains wet, fish can breathe through their thin skin. Male spinyskippers are very territorial and constantly fight each other for influence.
Rare deep sea fish
Sticktail
Sticktail(lat. Stylephorus chordatus) is a rare deep-sea fish that is so unusual that it is the only species of its genus and family. This fish has a very unusual mouth. It has one small tubular opening, and the jaws form an expanding skin pouch that works in the same way as a blacksmith's bellows.
Expanding the bag, the fish forcefully sucks in tiny crustaceans along with the water. At the same time, the eyeballs constantly rotate like binoculars, focusing on incredibly small prey.
Tripod sloth
This strange deep-sea fish is one of the few examples of living creatures that prefer not to move much in the water and feed like coral polyps, sponges And anemones. It stays in place and feeds on plankton passing by.
Its three fins have long, thin projections, allowing the fish to cling to the mud of the seabed and remain motionless for several days. The fish begins to move only when necessary, using its two front fins, which help it grab pieces of food and move them to its mouth.
Since fish do not need to hunt for food, tripods practically blind. With this lifestyle, they can rarely meet their relatives, so they are hermaphrodites.
Fish are some of the weirdest fish on Earth, and some fish are definitely weirder and scarier than others. Below you will find a list of the TOP 11 most unusual, terrible and amazing fish in the world's oceans, ranging from the laughable blob fish to the nightmarish goblin shark and stargazer.
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1. Blobfish
In his natural environment habitat at ocean depths from 900 to 1200 meters, drop fish ( Psychrolutes marcidus) looks almost like an ordinary fish, but when it reaches the surface, its body expands and the fish turns into a comical creature with a large nose. This is because the blobfish's gelatinous flesh evolved to withstand intense deep-sea pressure while allowing it to float on the seafloor. Torn out of your usual environment, the blob fish swells into a real monster. You may not have noticed, but the blob fish appeared in the Chinese restaurant scene in the third movie Men in Black, yet most people thought it was a special computer effect and not a real animal!
2. Asian sheephead wrasse
We know little about these fish, but it is likely that their huge forehead and chin are a sexual characteristic of dominance: males (or perhaps females) with larger head growths are considered more attractive to the opposite sex during mating season (one piece of evidence The support for this hypothesis is that the newly hatched Asian sheephead wrasses have normal heads).
3. Cube body
The marine analogue of the rectangular watermelons that are sold in Japan is the cube-shaped fish ( Ostracion cubicus) often visits the coral reefs of the Indian and Pacific oceans, feeding on algae and small. No one is sure how or why the cube body was distorted classic fish with flat, narrow bodies, but their maneuverability in the water appears to depend more on their fins than on their body shape. An interesting fact is that in 2006, Mercedes-Benz introduced the Bionic concept car, modeled after a cube-shaped fish (if you've never heard of the Bionic, that's because the car was a real evolutionary failure compared to its more successful inspiration ).
4. Psychedelic frog fish
Discovered in 2009 in Indonesian waters, psychedelic frogfish ( Histiophrine psychedelica) have a large flat face, blue eyes, a giant mouth and, most importantly, a striped white-orange-brown pattern that supposedly allows them to blend in with the surrounding corals. For any potential prey who is not properly hypnotized, the psychedelic frogfish also possesses a tiny "luring appendage" on its head that resembles a wriggling worm.
5. Redfin opah
In terms of its appearance, the redfin opah ( Lampris guttatus) will surprise few people. You may have seen these fish in large aquariums. What makes the redfin opah a truly unusual fish is not on the outside, but on the inside: it is the first identified species of warm-blooded fish, that is, it is independently capable of maintaining its internal body temperature 10 ° C above the temperature of the surrounding water. This unique physiology gives the redfin opah greater energy (they are known to migrate thousands of kilometers) and also supports them in extreme deep-sea habitats. Complex issue If warm-blooded metabolism is a beneficial adaptation, then why are other fish cold-blooded?
6. Goblin Shark
Deep-sea analogue of Alien from film director Ridley Scott, goblin shark ( Mitsukurina owstoni) is characterized by a long, narrow snout on the top of the head and sharp, protruding teeth on the bottom. When this shark is within range of its prey, it pushes out its lower jaws and captures the prey. However, do not be afraid, the goblin shark is unusually lazy and relatively slow and would probably not be able to outrun a frightened person. Surprisingly Mitsukurina owstoni is probably the only living shark that flourished during the early 125 million years ago, which explains its fearsome appearance and feeding habits.
7. Striped catfish
Striped catfish ( Anarhicas lupus) made this list for two reasons. Firstly, this fish has a pair of extraordinary, terrible jaws, with sharp incisors in front and chewing teeth in the back, which are ideal for and. Secondly, and more astonishingly, the striped catfish lives in such icy Atlantic waters that it is forced to produce its own "antifreeze proteins" that prevent the blood from freezing at temperatures of -1° C. As you might expect, this strange chemical component makes the striped catfish unsuitable as food for humans, but they are so often caught in deep-sea trawl nets that they are endangered.
8. Red pacu
Red pacu ( Piaractus brachypomus) looks like something out of a nightmare, or at least a mutant from a David Cronenberg film: this South American fish has unusual human-like teeth. Oddly enough, red pacu are sold as "vegetarian piranhas" in some pet stores, whose owners often neglect to inform their customers that these fish are capable of inflicting serious, crushing bites on the fingers of their owners, and a 10 cm young pacu can quickly outgrow the size of its aquarium. demanding large and expensive dwellings.
9. Spiny-nosed Whiteblood
Almost all animals on Earth use the protein hemoglobin to carry oxygen, which gives blood its characteristic red color. But the spiny-nosed whiteblood ( Chionodraco rastrospinosus) fully lives up to its name, since due to the lack of hemoglobin, its blood is colorless. This amazing Antarctic fish uses whatever oxygen dissolves in its blood directly from its oversized gills. The advantage of this adaptation is that clear blood is less viscous and is more easily pumped throughout the body; The disadvantage is that the spiny-nosed whiteblood must lead a sedentary lifestyle, since prolonged bursts of activity quickly deplete oxygen reserves.
10. Common Vandellia
Described by one naturalist as “the most complex creature in creation,” the stargazer fish has two large, bulging eyes and one huge mouth on top, rather than in front, of its head. The Stargazer burrows into the ocean floor, from where it pounces on unsuspecting victims. Well, that's not all the weirdness: these scary fish two poisonous spines also grow above the dorsal fins, and some species can even generate mild electrical shocks. Surprisingly, stargazers are considered a delicacy in Asian countries. If you don't mind having your dinner staring back at you from your plate, and you're confident that the chef has successfully removed its toxic organs, don't hesitate to order a meal from Stargazer on your next trip to Asia.
04/07/2017 at 18:03 · Pavlofox · 16 780
The most amazing fish in the world
In all the waters of the globe, be it the ocean, sea, lake or river, many living creatures live. Many people have not even heard of the existence of some. For centuries, the study of aquatic fauna was impossible due to the lack of equipment and equipment. The most famous ocean explorer is undoubtedly Jacques Cousteau. Only after he invented scuba gear did it become possible to closely and more closely study the sea and ocean floor. Based on his invention, many other devices for diving into the depths of the sea were developed. Collected here the most amazing fish in the world, some views were discovered by Cousteau himself.
10. Ambon scorpionfish
Ambona scorpionfish. This fish lives at the bottom sea waters. It spends most of its life buried under the sand, so it camouflages itself and hunts. This amazing fish is easily recognized by its bright violet color, sometimes turning into pale purple. She can change color, which is a necessary quality for camouflage. Animals camouflage themselves not only to hunt, but also to protect themselves from other predators. First discovered in 1856. It is distinguished by growths above the eyes in the form of eyebrows. Once you see her, you won’t confuse this extravagant look with anything else.
9. Fish - frog
Psychedelic View was opened quite recently, in 2009. I can’t even believe that in the 21st century there are still unknown species of animals. From the name alone it becomes clear that this is an unusual fish. Painted bright orange with white stripes. It is the directions of the stripes that justify the first part of this name. And “frog” because the fins and tail of a fish look more like the legs of some animal than a fin. The blue eyes of the fish are directed to the front, this gives the impression that it is a mammal. Thanks to its fins, it can crawl along the bottom, as well as push off and move by jumping.
8. Rag picker
Rag picker. This amazing fish got its name thanks to its camouflage uniform. Throughout the body and head there are processes resembling algae leaves. Some may confuse them with fins, although they have some similarities, they serve solely for camouflage. This is how she hunts small shrimp and hides from other predators. This species of fish lives off the coast of Australia in the waters of the Indian Ocean. The fish’s diet also includes plankton and algae, among which it actually lives. She has no teeth, so she swallows her prey whole.
7.
This type of unusual fish was discovered in 1758. The fish was named so because of its body shape. It resembles a disk, the fish seems to be flattened from the sides. The tail is almost imperceptible, all fins are fused together. The moon fish is very unadapted to physical activity; adult individuals cannot overcome strong currents. Fish can grow up to gigantic size and weighing more than one and a half tons. Therefore, in addition to plankton, the diet of the “moon” also includes jellyfish, eel larvae and squid. Depending on its habitat, it can also feed on salps (underwater “lanterns”), eel larvae and ctenophores.
6. Broad-nosed chimera
Broad-nosed chimera. Despite the fact that the fish was discovered more than a century ago, it has been studied very little. Maybe because of its disgusting jelly-like appearance. The chimera's habitat is the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. It lies motionless at a depth of about 1.5 kilometers, buried in the sand. The diet of this peculiar fish consists of mollusks, as well as everything that swims by. She leads a very sedentary lifestyle.
5. Cloaked
Cloakbearer. Another little-studied fish species is the Frilled Shark. This type of shark, discovered in 1884, looks more like a conger eel or a snake. This is a very rare species and their number is about one hundred individuals. The serpentine body of the shark is covered with stripes; these are gills hidden by the skin. The shark has 12 of them, six on each side. The first pair is interconnected and forms a single cavity. Like other individuals, the jaw of the Cloakbearer is dotted with teeth, but not small ones in several rows. 12 pairs of teeth, each of which is something like a Christmas tree branch, with many sharp formations.
4. Coelacanth Indonesian
Coelacanth Indonesian. Considered extinct until 1999, this amazing fish is the oldest species on the globe. There are two species of coelacanth on earth. Their divergence period is approximately 40 million years. To date, only a dozen individuals have been discovered. Until 2006, only four individuals were known, two were caught by fishermen and two more fish were observed from the submersible. In 2007, a fifth individual was discovered. The fisherman who found her fenced her with a net in the shallow waters of the sea. The individual lived for about 15 hours, although it was believed that upper layers She lives at sea for no more than two hours.
3. Hairy monkfish
Hairy angler. On the seabed, especially at great depths, live animals that are very strange and scary for the average person. One of them is the Hairy Monkfish, which belongs to the anglerfish family. At a depth of more than a kilometer, where sunlight does not penetrate, anglerfish attract potential prey with a luminous growth on their forehead. Since there are not many living creatures at depth, the fish rushes and eats everything that comes in its way, even more predators than itself. To do this, she has developed jaws and sharp teeth. Harsh living conditions dictate their own rules, this even applies to reproduction, the male of this unique fish transfers its secretions to the female through the blood.
2.
Discovered in 1926, this fantastic inhabitant of the deep sea has been called the ugliest animal in the world. Nothing in the water yet, but on land the jelly is a visible, rather unpleasant creature. The weight of the fish can reach 10 kilograms, length is about 50 centimeters. It usually feeds on plankton, small crustaceans or shrimp. She simply lies at the bottom with her mouth open, and waits for the victim to swim into her. Although scientists know very little about the reproduction of the “blob,” it has been revealed that it is a very caring parent. This type of fish protects its fry until they mature and begin to find food on their own.
1. Smallmouth macropinna
Smallmouth macropinna. This individual is unusual in that in the head area it has a dome-shaped transparent formation somewhat reminiscent of a spacesuit. Although it was discovered in 1939, before today very little is known about her. One of the reasons is that the habitat of this amazing fish, the great depths of the sea, are generally little studied. Until 2009, it was a mystery why the eyes of fish are directed straight up. Previously discovered specimens were caught in fishing nets; when rising to the surface, the transparent shell on the fish’s head was destroyed or deformed, causing researchers to come to incorrect conclusions. But observing the species in its natural environment clarified the issue. The transparent shell is filled with a special liquid that protects the visual organs.
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In maritime and ocean depths There are a huge number of all kinds of creatures that amaze with their sophisticated defense mechanisms, ability to adapt, and, of course, their appearance. This is a whole universe that has not yet been fully explored. In this rating, we have collected the most unusual representatives of the depths, from beautifully colored fish to creepy monsters.
15
Opens our ranking of the most unusual inhabitants deep, dangerous and at the same time amazing lion fish, also known as striped lionfish or zebra fish. This cute creature, about 30 centimeters long, spends most of its time among the corals in a motionless state, and only from time to time swims from one place to another. Thanks to its beautiful and unusual coloring, as well as long fan-shaped pectoral and dorsal fins, this fish attracts the attention of both people and marine life.
However, behind the beauty of the color and shape of its fins are hidden sharp and poisonous needles, with which it protects itself from enemies. The lion fish itself does not attack first, but if a person accidentally touches it or steps on it, then one injection from such a needle will sharply worsen his health. If there are several injections, then the person will need outside help to swim to the shore, as the pain can become unbearable and lead to loss of consciousness.
14
This is a small marine bony fish of the pipefish family of the order Pipefish. Seahorses lead a sedentary lifestyle; they attach their flexible tails to stems, and thanks to numerous spines, outgrowths on the body and iridescent colors, they completely blend into the background. This is how they protect themselves from predators and camouflage themselves while hunting for food. Skates feed on small crustaceans and shrimp. The tubular stigma acts like a pipette - the prey is drawn into the mouth along with water.
Body seahorses in the water it is located unconventionally for fish - vertically or diagonally. The reason for this is the relatively large swim bladder, most of which is located in the upper part of the body seahorse. The difference between seahorses and other species is that their offspring are carried by the male. On its abdomen it has a special brood chamber in the form of a sac, which plays the role of a uterus. Seahorses are very fertile animals, and the number of embryos borne in a male’s pouch ranges from 2 to several thousand. Childbirth for a male is often painful and can result in death.
13
This representative of the depths is a relative of the previous participant in the rating - the seahorse. The leafy sea dragon, rag-eater or sea pegasus is an unusual fish, so named for its fantastic appearance - translucent delicate greenish fins cover its body and constantly sway with the movement of the water. Although these processes look like fins, they do not take part in swimming, but serve only for camouflage. The length of this creature reaches 35 centimeters, and it lives in only one place - off the southern coast of Australia. The rag picker swims slowly, its maximum speed is up to 150 m/h. Just like seahorses, the offspring are carried by males in a special pouch formed during spawning along the lower surface of the tail. The female lays eggs in this pouch and all care of the offspring falls on the father.
12
The frilled shark is a species of shark that looks much more like a strange one. sea snake or eel. Since the Jurassic period, the frilled predator has not changed at all over millions of years of existence. It got its name from the presence of a brown formation on its body, which resembles a cape. It is also called the corrugated shark due to the numerous folds of skin on its body. Such peculiar folds on its skin, according to scientists, are a reserve of body volume to accommodate large prey in the stomach.
After all, the frilled shark swallows its prey mainly whole, since the needle-like tips of its teeth curved inside the mouth are not capable of crushing and grinding food. The frilled shark lives in the bottom layer of water in all oceans except the Arctic Ocean, at a depth of 400-1200 meters; it is a typical deep-sea predator. The frilled shark can reach 2 meters in length, but the usual sizes are smaller - 1.5 meters for females and 1.3 meters for males. This species lays eggs: the female gives birth to 3-12 young. Gestation of embryos can last up to two years.
11
This type of crustacean from the infraorder crabs is one of the most major representatives arthropods: large individuals reach 20 kilograms, 45 centimeters in carapace length and 4 m in the span of the first pair of legs. It lives mainly in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Japan at a depth of 50 to 300 meters. It feeds on shellfish and leftovers and is believed to live up to 100 years. The survival rate among the larvae is very small, so females spawn more than 1.5 million of them. During the process of evolution, the front two legs turned into large claws that can reach a length of 40 centimeters. Despite such a formidable weapon, the Japanese spider crab is non-aggressive and has a calm character. It is even used in aquariums as an ornamental animal.
10
These large deep-sea crayfish can grow more than 50 cm in length. The largest recorded specimen weighed 1.7 kilograms and was 76 centimeters long. Their body is covered with hard plates that are softly connected to each other. This armor design provides good mobility, so giant isopods can curl up into a ball when they sense danger. Rigid plates reliably protect the crayfish’s body from deep-sea predators. Quite often they are found in Blackpool, England, and they are not uncommon in other places on the planet. These animals live at depths from 170 to 2,500 m. Most of the entire population prefers to be kept at a depth of 360-750 meters.
They prefer to live on the clay bottom alone. Isopods are carnivorous, they can hunt for slow prey on the bottom - sea cucumbers, sponges, and possibly small fish. They also do not disdain carrion, which sinks to the seabed from the surface. Since there is not always enough food at such great depths, and finding it in pitch darkness is not an easy task, isopods have adapted long time do without food at all. It is known for sure that cancer is capable of fasting for 8 weeks in a row.
9
The purple tremoctopus or blanket octopus is a very unusual octopus. Although, octopuses are generally strange creatures - they have three hearts, poisonous saliva, the ability to change the color and texture of their skin, and their tentacles are able to perform certain actions without instructions from the brain. However, the purple tremoctopus is the strangest of them all. For starters, we can say that the female is 40,000 times heavier than the male! The male is only 2.4 centimeters long and lives almost like plankton, while the female reaches 2 m in length. When the female is frightened, she can expand the cape-like membrane located between the tentacles, which visually increases her size and makes her look even more dangerous. It is also interesting that the blanket octopus is immune to the venom of the Portuguese Man of War jellyfish; Moreover, the intelligent octopus sometimes tears off the jellyfish's tentacles and uses them as weapons.
8
Drop fish - deep-sea bottom fish sea fish of the psycholute family, which, due to its unattractive appearance, is often called one of the most terrible fish on the planet. These fish supposedly live at depths of 600-1200 m off the coast of Australia and Tasmania, where they are found Lately Fishermen began to increasingly reach the surface, which is why this species of fish is endangered. The blobfish consists of a gelatinous mass with a density slightly less than the density of water itself. This allows the blobfish to swim at such depths without expending large quantities.
Lack of muscles is not a problem for this fish. She swallows almost everything edible that floats in front of her, lazily opening her mouth. It feeds mainly on mollusks and crustaceans. Even though the blobfish is not edible, it is endangered. Fishermen, in turn, sell this fish as a souvenir. Blobfish populations are recovering slowly. It takes 4.5 to 14 years for the blobfish population to double.
7 Sea urchin
Sea urchins are very ancient animals of the echinoderm class that inhabited the Earth already 500 million years ago. On this moment known around 940 modern species sea urchins. The body size of a sea urchin varies from 2 to 30 centimeters and is covered with rows of calcareous plates that form a dense shell. Based on body shape, sea urchins are divided into regular and irregular. U the right hedgehogs body shape is almost round. U wrong hedgehogs The body shape is flattened, and the anterior and posterior ends of the body are distinguishable. Spines of various lengths are movably connected to the shell of sea urchins. The length ranges from 2 millimeters to 30 centimeters. Spines often serve sea urchins for movement, nutrition and protection.
In some species, which are distributed mainly in tropical and subtropical regions of the Indian, Pacific and Atlantic Oceans needles are poisonous. Sea urchins are bottom crawling or burrowing animals that typically live at depths of about 7 meters and are widespread on coral reefs. Sometimes some individuals can crawl onto. Correct sea urchins prefer rocky surfaces; incorrect - soft and sandy soil. Hedgehogs reach sexual maturity in the third year of life, and live about 10-15 years, up to a maximum of 35.
6
Largemouth lives in the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans at depths from 500 to 3000 meters. The body of the largemouth is long and narrow, in appearance it resembles an eel 60 cm, sometimes up to 1 meter. Due to the giant stretching mouth, reminiscent of the beak bag of a pelican, it has a second name - pelican fish. The length of the mouth is almost 1/3 of the total body length, the rest is thin body, passing into the caudal filament, at the end of which there is a luminous organ. The largemouth does not have scales, a swim bladder, ribs, an anal fin or a full-fledged bone skeleton.
Their skeleton consists of several deformed bones and light cartilage. Therefore, these fish are quite light. They have a tiny skull and small eyes. Due to poorly developed fins, these fish cannot swim quickly. Due to the size of its mouth, this fish is capable of swallowing prey that is larger than itself. The swallowed victim ends up in the stomach, which can stretch to enormous sizes. The pelican fish feeds on other deep-sea fish and crustaceans that can be found at such depths.
5
The sac-eater or black eater is deep sea representative perciformes from the suborder chiasmodidae, living at depths from 700 to 3000 meters. This fish grows up to 30 centimeters in length and is found throughout tropical and subtropical waters. This fish got its name from its ability to swallow prey several times its size. This is possible due to the very elastic stomach and the absence of ribs. A bagworm can easily swallow fish 4 times longer and 10 times heavier than its body.
This fish has very large jaws, and on each of them the front three teeth form sharp fangs, with which it holds the victim when it pushes it into its stomach. As the prey decomposes, a lot of gas is released inside the bagworm's stomach, which brings the fish to the surface, where some black gobblers have been found with swollen bellies. It is not possible to observe the animal in its natural habitat, so very little is known about its life.
4
This lizard-headed creature belongs to the deep-sea lizard-heads that live in the tropical and subtropical seas of the world, at depths from 600 to 3500 meters. Its length reaches 50-65 centimeters. Outwardly, it is very reminiscent of long-extinct dinosaurs in a reduced form. It is considered the deepest sea predator, devouring everything that comes in its way. Bathysaurus even has teeth on its tongue. At such a depth, it is quite difficult for this predator to find a mate, but this is not a problem for it, since the bathysaurus is a hermaphrodite, that is, it has both male and female sexual characteristics.
3
The smallmouth macropinna, or barrel eye, is a species of deep-sea fish, the only representative of the genus macropinna, which belongs to the order Smeltfish. These amazing fish have a transparent head through which they can watch their prey with their tubular eyes. It was discovered in 1939, and lives at a depth of 500 to 800 meters, and therefore has not been well studied. Fish in their normal habitat are usually motionless, or move slowly in a horizontal position.
Previously, the principle of operation of the eyes was not clear, since the fish’s olfactory organs are located above the mouth, and the eyes are located inside the transparent head and can only look up. The green color of the eyes of this fish is caused by the presence of a specific yellow pigment in them. It is believed that this pigment provides special filtering of light coming from above and reduces its brightness, which allows the fish to discern the bioluminescence of potential prey.
In 2009, scientists found that thanks to the special structure of the eye muscles, these fish are able to move their cylindrical eyes from the vertical position in which they are usually located, to the horizontal position when they are directed forward. In this case, the mouth is in the field of view, which provides an opportunity to capture prey. Zooplankton of various sizes, including small cnidarians and crustaceans, as well as siphonophore tentacles along with cnidocytes were found in the macropinna vein. Taking this into account, we can come to the conclusion that the continuous transparent membrane above the eyes of this species evolved evolutionarily as a way of protecting cnidarians from cnidocytes.
1
The first place in our ranking of the most unusual inhabitants of the depths was taken by a deep-sea monster called an anglerfish or devil fish. These scary and unusual fish live at great depths, from 1500 to 3000 meters. They are characterized by a spherical, laterally flattened body shape and the presence of a “fishing rod” in females. The skin is black or dark brown, naked; in several species it is covered with transformed scales - spines and plaques; ventral fins are absent. There are 11 known families, including almost 120 species.
The anglerfish is a predatory sea fish. Hunt other residents underwater world it is helped by a special growth on its back - one feather from the dorsal fin separated from the others during evolution, and a transparent sac formed at its end. In this sac, which is actually a gland with liquid, surprisingly, there are bacteria. They may or may not glow, obeying their master in this matter. The anglerfish regulates the luminosity of bacteria by dilating or constricting blood vessels. Some members of the anglerfish family adapt even more sophisticatedly, acquiring a folding fishing rod or growing one right in their mouth, while others have glowing teeth.
The ocean is full of unknown and interesting things, it has its own mysterious atmosphere where living beings live different types and sizes. Despite the fact that scientists are studying the “secrets” of the underwater world, there are still many unknown things that each time force humanity to plunge more and more into mysterious world marine fauna.
A river, a sea, an ocean, despite the size of the depths of the sea, living fish creatures live in any body of water. But among all the diversity of inhabitants, there are unusual fish that not only inspire with their appearance, but also frighten.
Amazing lion fish, one of the most beautiful and interesting creatures, which is also called the zebra fish. She attracted her attention precisely because of her unusual color, white and black stripes on her body and sharp fins in the form of needles, which have a deadly poison.
The fish itself is calm, inactive, and never attacks first, but if it is disturbed, there is a chance of receiving a dose of deadly poison.
It is a very beautiful and unusual fish, its shape is similar to a seahorse, and its dimensions reach up to 35 centimeters. This is a very slow fish, its fins are greenish, and it is very easy to confuse it with any plant.
It is also called pelican fish. The body of the largemouth is long and narrow, in size it can reach up to 1 meter. It is considered an unusual fish because its front part of the body is a mouth, which makes up half of its body.
It swims very slowly because its fins are poorly developed, it has no scales, and its small eyes make it very small review. But thanks to the large size of its mouth, this fish can eat prey that is 2 times its size, since the stomach of such a fish tends to stretch to enormous sizes.
A very dangerous and little-known fish. It grows up to 35 centimeters in length and has a very elastic stomach, which allows it to eat prey 4 times longer and 10 times heavier than the bagworm.
It is most often found in tropical waters, but very little is known about the life of the fish, since it lives in the depths of the ocean. Due to the fact that its stomach stretches well, in the process of eating food, gases are formed in it, and when it comes out, the fish are pushed to the surface. It was only thanks to this factor that this type of fish became known, because they were found with swollen bellies on the surface of the water.
Another one of the unusual fish that lives in the depths of the sea. This is a very amazing fish, it has a transparent head and its eyes can only look up. The eye color of these fish is green, this helps reduce the brightness of light, and allows you to distinguish and quickly catch the necessary prey. These fish themselves are slow-moving and live at depths of up to 800 meters.
Very large and round, which surprisingly does not know how to swim, so it can often be seen on the ocean shore. It can weigh up to 1.5 tons and its appearance resembles a disk. Its tail is short and pointed, and its skin is covered with tubercles.
Very strange in its own way appearance fish, it lives in tropical waters at depths of up to 300 meters. The color of these fish is always different and depends on the color of the coral near which they live. In addition to the fact that this fish can swim, it can also move along the ocean floor with the help of its fins. This fish was given this name due to the fact that it has large and sad eyes, and it has a nose that is very similar to a human nose, and its weight can reach up to 10 kilograms.
A very dangerous, flexible fish that lives at a depth of up to two thousand meters. Their sizes reach up to 40 centimeters in length, but these are the sizes of females. Males do not exceed 5 centimeters in length. They have long whiskers and teeth with which they can catch their prey.
It lives in the rivers of the Congo and is one of the most dangerous fish in the world from the piranha family. Dimensions can reach up to 180 centimeters in length, and weight can be more than 50 kilograms.
Such a fish is very difficult to catch, because thanks to its jaw and sharp fangs, it is able to bite through any net. She chooses her victims regardless of size, so even a crocodile can become her prey.
It is amazing that with the help of its fins, of which it has four pairs, it can move freely along the seabed. It moves only with its rear fins, and if it needs to push off from the bottom, it uses all four.
Dimensions reach up to 35 centimeters in length, weight up to 20 kilograms. Since these fish live on the ocean floor, scientists have not been able to fully study them, so there is an assumption that these fish move along the “soft” bottom, in the form of algae, stones, since their fins are not able to support their weight.
Lives in Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. This is a very poisonous fish, quite large sizes up to 45 centimeters in length, whose skin, liver and other organs contain a substance that can lead to the death of not only a person, but also the creatures around him.
It lives in the depths of the Atlantic and Antarctic oceans, and is the most frightening creature in the world. They have very flexible body, and a very large jaw, which allows them to eat prey almost twice their size. Their size is up to 1 meter in length, and the end of the spine of these fish glows, which allows them to lure victims to them.
The most amazing thing is that the males of this species over time cannot digest food, and then they develop into females.
Known for its three "legs", which are long fins. The length of the fins reaches up to 1 meter. With the help of these fins, the fish can rest on the bottom and move around. They live in warm waters tropical oceans.
The fish themselves have small sizes, body length is up to 35 centimeters. Their color can be either dark brown or black, but they have the ability to glow in the dark thanks to bioluminescence. Most often, this fish lives on the seabed, where it catches and hunts its prey.
Or a crawling fish, can stay on the surface without water for up to 8 hours, thanks to the respiratory organ, which helps it absorb oxygen from the air.
They move on the ground with the help of fins, and can easily climb onto stones, bushes and even trees. They most often live in South Asia. Their sizes reach up to 25 centimeters in length, and the color can vary from brown to green. They do not get along well with other inhabitants of the deep sea, so they like to be alone.
Nowadays more and more time is spent on studying the underwater world, so having examined several unusual species of fish, we can conclude that sea world is not as simple as it seems, there are still many discoveries to be made, including the discovery of new species of marine life.