Creatures of the Deep

★ wanayoo — archive 1999 http://extremescience.com/deepcreat.htm

Here's an up close and personal view of the wicked-looking Viper fish. Check out the teeth and the bug eyes on this guy!

Viper Fish (Photo courtesy of Paul Yancey, Biology Dept., Whitman College, Walla Walla Washington)

These are the creepy crawlies and monsters of the deep you've been waiting to see. Starting with the first really deep ocean zone - the Mesopelagic...
Life in the Deep
Many species of deep ocean fish have special adaptations to living in extremely high pressure, low light conditions. Viper fish (Mesopelagic - found at 80-1600 meters - about a mile down) are probably some of the most wicked looking fish dredged up from the depths. They are black as night all over with light organs (called photophores) in strategic places on their bodies, including one on a long dorsal fin that serves as a lure for the fish it preys upon. They also have enlarged eyes, presumably for gathering as much light as possible where there is little or no light at all. The light organs create lights by using a chemical process called bioluminescence*. Some viper fish have a hinged skull, which can rotate upward to swallow large prey. They also have large stomachs which can stretch to accommodate a fish much larger than itself. Fish that live down here must adapt to a very low food supply, eating only "scraps" that sink down from above, or sometimes eating each other.
*Find out more about bioluminescence and how it works.

Rattail or grenadier fish. These fish were a common sight around the remains of the Titanic when Bob Ballard's expedition filmed the wreckage using ROV technology. (Photo courtesy of Paul Yancey, Biology Dept., Whitman College, Walla Walla Washington)

Benthopelagic
These fish are found at the benthopelagic level, in the bathyal zones. Scientists have discovered that this type of fish has high levels of a chemical called TMAO in its body. All ocean creatures have this chemical in their systems. Its presence helps to maintain hydration levels of the body tissues while living in all that salt water. Otherwise, water would move from areas of low salinity (the fish's body) to areas of high salinity (the surrounding ocean water). Without this chemical fish would be dehydrated by the surrounding ocean water. TMAO, and it's breakdown product TMA, are the chemicals that make marine animals smell fishy. Having really high levels of the smelly chemical compound must make the rattail not only ugly, but really stinky, too!

Brotulid fish. Scientists know almost nothing about this fish that dwells deeper than any other fish in the ocean. (Photo courtesy of Guinness Publishing.)

Deepest Fish

The world's record holder for deepest fish goes to the brotulid* family, about which scientists know almost nothing. These fish are benthopelagic, living at depths of 7000 meters or more. The world's deepest fish (Abyssobrotula galatheae) was found in the Puerto Rican Trench at a depth of 8,372 meters (that's over five miles down!).
Their eyes appear to be virtually nonexistent. Maybe it's because there is never enough light for the fish to see, so why bother with the eyes? After all, eyes in most organisms are designed for gathering light in the creature's visual field and transmitting it to the brain - giving it useful information about it's environment. In a world where no sunlight ever penetrates there's probably little use for eyes. The brotulids probably have other, highly developed senses to compensate for their lack of vision, which help them to find their way around in the dark depths. Maybe YOU could be the scientist who studies this species and unravels its mysteries.

Sea Pig.

(Photo courtesy of Paul Yancey, Biology Dept.,Whitman College, Walla Walla Washington)

Bottom Feeders

These creatures live on or just underneath the surface of the very bottom of the ocean, on the abyssal plain. Called "sea pigs", they are a type of sea cucumber, which is a member of the same phylum as starfish and sea urchins (Echinoderms). They look and act kind of like slugs do up here on land. They feed on the mud of the sea floor, benefiting from the organic materials that settle to the ocean bottom. Sea cucumbers, starfish and sea urchins can be found in all depths of the ocean. For reasons scientists don't yet understand, members of the phylum Echinodermata (like the sea pigs) are extremely successful down in the ocean depths. They are the most plentiful species of sea creature down there. This guy does look kinda like a pig, doesn't he?

Giant feather-duster tubeworms that live around hydrothermal vents on the sea floor. These creatures are about the size of your hand in shallower waters, but in the ocean's deep they have been found as big as eight feet long!
For for information about deep-sea hydrothermal vents and the bizarre life forms that live there go visit these websites:
Make A Miniature Hydrothermal Vent
Creatures of the Thermal Vents

Virtual Field Trip to the Thermal Vents

Thermal Vents Study - Home Page

Gigantism

A characteristic of many deep ocean creatures which baffles scientists is the incidence of gigantism - ocean creatures that exist in shallower waters take on gigantic proportions when they take up residence down in deep ocean water.
Giant Tube Worms: On the bottom of the ocean around deep-sea hydrothermal vents, there is a profusion of life live that thrives on the hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) gas released from the vents. Some of the most impressive of the creatures that live here are the giant tube worms, which can grow up to eight feet long. These tube worms grow in large clusters around the vents and live inside hard, shell-like protective tubes that attach to the rocks. They live in a symbiotic relationship with a bacteria that may hold clues as to how life on earth began billions of years ago. These worms lack mouths, anuses, intestines and stomachs, and scientists were at a loss to explain how these tube worms were getting nutrients to survive and grow. It turns out their insides are lined with bacteria that oxidize the H₂S, turning it into usable nutrients for the worms. The bacteria, in turn, benefit from the relationship because the worms deliver blood containing hemoglobin which helps the bacteria to break down the sulfides.

Up until the discovery of these incredible bacteria (able to withstand the hottest temperatures of any other living thing on earth), scientists didn't believe it was possible for anything to survive in the extreme environment around deep ocean vents (extreme pressure, high temperature, no sunlight). The discovery of the deep-sea thermal vents and the communities of life they support has completely changed the way we define life, perhaps going a long way to explain how life on earth first began.

In Search of Giant Squid - this is a really cool website that has pictures of specimens collected and more interesting factoids!

Go check out some awesome websites on deep ocean creatures:
Deep Sea Pages
Mysteries of the Deep

Giant Squid

(Architeuthis dux)

Another species of deep ocean creature that has been world famous for centuries has just recently come into the spotlight. Ancient stories from men who traveled the seas exploring the world told of giant monsters of the deep that rivaled the size of the ship. These stories were ridiculed as nonsense recently as humans began to explore the ocean depths because no such creature had ever been spotted.
However, scientists have slowly been piecing together evidence of the elusive giants and recently began finding some very large specimens washed up on shore. The stomach contents of sperm whales have revealed body parts of these huge creatures and sucker marks on some whales' skin stand as evidence of goliath battles in the deep between the whale and the giant squid. The largest squid found so far had an overall length of about 60 feet and weighed about 1 ton. There may be other squids out there even larger. No one really knows where they live so they don't know where to look for live specimens. Maybe YOU could be a Teuthologist (a scientist who studies squids) and be the first to discover a live specimen of Architeuthis dux!


Here's an up close and personal view of the wicked-looking Viper fish. Check out the teeth and the bug eyes on this guy! Viper Fish (Photo courtesy of Paul Yancey, Biology Dept., Whitman College, Walla Walla Washington)	These are the creepy crawlies and monsters of the deep you've been waiting to see. Starting with the first really deep ocean zone - the Mesopelagic... Life in the Deep Many species of deep ocean fish have special adaptations to living in extremely high pressure, low light conditions. Viper fish (Mesopelagic - found at 80-1600 meters - about a mile down) are probably some of the most wicked looking fish dredged up from the depths. They are black as night all over with light organs (called photophores) in strategic places on their bodies, including one on a long dorsal fin that serves as a lure for the fish it preys upon. They also have enlarged eyes, presumably for gathering as much light as possible where there is little or no light at all. The light organs create lights by using a chemical process called bioluminescence. Some viper fish have a hinged skull, which can rotate upward to swallow large prey. They also have large stomachs which can stretch to accommodate a fish much larger than itself. Fish that live down here must adapt to a very low food supply, eating only "scraps" that sink down from above, or sometimes eating each other. Find out more about bioluminescence and how it works.
Rattail or grenadier fish. These fish were a common sight around the remains of the Titanic when Bob Ballard's expedition filmed the wreckage using ROV technology. (Photo courtesy of Paul Yancey, Biology Dept., Whitman College, Walla Walla Washington)	Benthopelagic These fish are found at the benthopelagic level, in the bathyal zones. Scientists have discovered that this type of fish has high levels of a chemical called TMAO in its body. All ocean creatures have this chemical in their systems. Its presence helps to maintain hydration levels of the body tissues while living in all that salt water. Otherwise, water would move from areas of low salinity (the fish's body) to areas of high salinity (the surrounding ocean water). Without this chemical fish would be dehydrated by the surrounding ocean water. TMAO, and it's breakdown product TMA, are the chemicals that make marine animals smell fishy. Having really high levels of the smelly chemical compound must make the rattail not only ugly, but really stinky, too!
Brotulid fish. Scientists know almost nothing about this fish that dwells deeper than any other fish in the ocean. (Photo courtesy of Guinness Publishing.)	Deepest Fish The world's record holder for deepest fish goes to the brotulid* family, about which scientists know almost nothing. These fish are benthopelagic, living at depths of 7000 meters or more. The world's deepest fish (Abyssobrotula galatheae) was found in the Puerto Rican Trench at a depth of 8,372 meters (that's over five miles down!). Their eyes appear to be virtually nonexistent. Maybe it's because there is never enough light for the fish to see, so why bother with the eyes? After all, eyes in most organisms are designed for gathering light in the creature's visual field and transmitting it to the brain - giving it useful information about it's environment. In a world where no sunlight ever penetrates there's probably little use for eyes. The brotulids probably have other, highly developed senses to compensate for their lack of vision, which help them to find their way around in the dark depths. Maybe YOU could be the scientist who studies this species and unravels its mysteries.
Sea Pig. (Photo courtesy of Paul Yancey, Biology Dept.,Whitman College, Walla Walla Washington)	Bottom Feeders These creatures live on or just underneath the surface of the very bottom of the ocean, on the abyssal plain. Called "sea pigs", they are a type of sea cucumber, which is a member of the same phylum as starfish and sea urchins (Echinoderms). They look and act kind of like slugs do up here on land. They feed on the mud of the sea floor, benefiting from the organic materials that settle to the ocean bottom. Sea cucumbers, starfish and sea urchins can be found in all depths of the ocean. For reasons scientists don't yet understand, members of the phylum Echinodermata (like the sea pigs) are extremely successful down in the ocean depths. They are the most plentiful species of sea creature down there. This guy does look kinda like a pig, doesn't he?
Giant feather-duster tubeworms that live around hydrothermal vents on the sea floor. These creatures are about the size of your hand in shallower waters, but in the ocean's deep they have been found as big as eight feet long! For for information about deep-sea hydrothermal vents and the bizarre life forms that live there go visit these websites: Make A Miniature Hydrothermal Vent Creatures of the Thermal Vents Virtual Field Trip to the Thermal Vents Thermal Vents Study - Home Page	Gigantism A characteristic of many deep ocean creatures which baffles scientists is the incidence of gigantism - ocean creatures that exist in shallower waters take on gigantic proportions when they take up residence down in deep ocean water. Giant Tube Worms: On the bottom of the ocean around deep-sea hydrothermal vents, there is a profusion of life live that thrives on the hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) gas released from the vents. Some of the most impressive of the creatures that live here are the giant tube worms, which can grow up to eight feet long. These tube worms grow in large clusters around the vents and live inside hard, shell-like protective tubes that attach to the rocks. They live in a symbiotic relationship with a bacteria that may hold clues as to how life on earth began billions of years ago. These worms lack mouths, anuses, intestines and stomachs, and scientists were at a loss to explain how these tube worms were getting nutrients to survive and grow. It turns out their insides are lined with bacteria that oxidize the H₂S, turning it into usable nutrients for the worms. The bacteria, in turn, benefit from the relationship because the worms deliver blood containing hemoglobin which helps the bacteria to break down the sulfides. Up until the discovery of these incredible bacteria (able to withstand the hottest temperatures of any other living thing on earth), scientists didn't believe it was possible for anything to survive in the extreme environment around deep ocean vents (extreme pressure, high temperature, no sunlight). The discovery of the deep-sea thermal vents and the communities of life they support has completely changed the way we define life, perhaps going a long way to explain how life on earth first began.
In Search of Giant Squid - this is a really cool website that has pictures of specimens collected and more interesting factoids! Go check out some awesome websites on deep ocean creatures: Deep Sea Pages Mysteries of the Deep	Giant Squid (Architeuthis dux) Another species of deep ocean creature that has been world famous for centuries has just recently come into the spotlight. Ancient stories from men who traveled the seas exploring the world told of giant monsters of the deep that rivaled the size of the ship. These stories were ridiculed as nonsense recently as humans began to explore the ocean depths because no such creature had ever been spotted. However, scientists have slowly been piecing together evidence of the elusive giants and recently began finding some very large specimens washed up on shore. The stomach contents of sperm whales have revealed body parts of these huge creatures and sucker marks on some whales' skin stand as evidence of goliath battles in the deep between the whale and the giant squid. The largest squid found so far had an overall length of about 60 feet and weighed about 1 ton. There may be other squids out there even larger. No one really knows where they live so they don't know where to look for live specimens. Maybe YOU could be a Teuthologist (a scientist who studies squids) and be the first to discover a live specimen of Architeuthis dux!