Our oceans make up most of the Earth’s surface and yet little is known about them. As stated by National Geographic, “more than 80 percent of the ocean has never been mapped, explored, or even seen by humans.” That means a lot of the ocean is unexplored, including the various species that live in the ocean.
This blog has a list of some cool looking sea animals which you may or may not have heard of already. Many of these species are endangered or threatened so hopefully, this blog makes you more aware and wanting to research more about these animals.
Blue Ribbon Eel (Rhinomuraena quaesita)
These jazzy eels get their name from their thin, ribbon-like body as well as their zigzag swimming pattern. They are well known for their tiny dragon head and their jaws which are often wide open when divers approach. Ribbon eels are found in lagoons and reefs in the Indo-Pacific Ocean. Another interesting characteristic of this species is that they are classed as a protandric hermaphrodite. This means that males transition into females; along with this transition comes a colour change. At first, these eels are jet black and have a yellow dorsal fin whereas as in the adult males the black changes to blue, females are entirely yellow.
Anglerfish
These spooky fish are found worldwide and include over 200 species of fish of the order Lophiiformes. They are probably most well known for the esca, a luminous part of the dorsal fin which hangs in front of their mouth. Anglerfish live at the bottom of the ocean which is completely pitch black, they use the light to attract prey which they can then easily eat. Although, the esca is a feature which is only present in females. The male anglerfish have evolved to live as a permanent parasitic mate. They are significantly smaller in size and latch on to the female anglerfish. Eventually they fuse together and their bloodstream connects, the male is then completely dependent on the female for nutrients.
Blob Sculpin (Psychrolutes phrictus)
Closely related to the species known as blobfish (Psychrolutes marcidus), this species lives deep in the North Pacific Ocean. They look like a blob of slime out of the water but due to the high pressure deep in the ocean, they actually look like your everyday fish where they live. Not much is known about this species nor the genus Psychrolutes that it is part of.
Dumbo Octopus
These octopuses are part of the genus Grimpoteuthis and consists of 13 species. Their name comes from the Disney film character ‘Dumbo’ whose ears look similar to the fins of these octopuses. They are the deepest-living octopuses at live at extreme depths of up to around 4 kilometres below the ocean’s surface. Dumbo octopuses propel themselves using their fins instead of the usual process of jet propulsion (expelling water from their siphons inside their mantle) like other octopuses do.
The Giant Oarfish (Regalecus glesne)
This species of oarfish is the longest known living species of bony fish. They can reach a length of 17 metres! However, they are rarely seen since they live at depths of around 1,000 metres. These fish look scary but actually they eat tiny plankton, they don’t even have real teeth. It is believed that oarfish can forecast earthquakes, in Japan the traditional belief is that if many oarfish wash up then it is a signal that an earthquake is coming. There could be scientific evidence to this theory since deep-sea fish are believed to be more sensitive to the movement of fault lines.
Coconut Octopus (Amphioctopus marginatus)
This species of octopus gets their name from their versatile uses of coconut shells found along the seafloor. Coconut octopuses are one of the few sea animals that have learnt tool use. They use coconut shells for a mobile den or as a protective tool while they scavenge. Although they prefer coconut shells, they have also been observed to use clam shells. They are also one of two octopuses capable of bipedal locomotion which means they move on two limbs similar to humans.
Frilled Shark (Chlamydoselachus anguineus)
The rare frilled shark is considered a ‘living fossil’ because of its primitive physical traits such as its dark-brown colour. It is also called this because its features haven’t changed a lot eventhough the species have lived on Earth for 80 million years. They are predators and feed off of many other aquatic sea animals such as squids and even other, smaller sharks. Frilled sharks have 300 backwards curved, needle-like teeth.
Orca (Orcinus orca)
Also known as killer whales, orcas are actually part of the oceanic dolphin family. These are extremely social creatures and each pod has their own distinctive noises which members recognise over long distances. Orcas are apex predators, meaning that no animals prey on them. Pods can consist of up to 40 orcas and they use cooperative hunting techniques to catch their prey. Each pod has its own unique culture and hunting techniques which are passed down through generations.
Leafy seadragon (Phycodurus eques)
The leafy seadragon is a marine fish inhabiting the southern and western costs of Australia. Their leaf-shaped appendages allow them to perfectly blend into the surrounding sea weed of their habitat. Just like sea horses, male sea dragons are the ones that give birth. They move using nearly transparent fins located near their neck and tail; they move slowly through the water to further appear like a piece of seaweed.
Dugong (Dugong dugon)
Dugongs are closely related to manatees which can be seen by their similar appearance. Both species are also related to elephants. Dugongs are herbivores and graze underwater grasses. It is believed that they were the inspiration for mermaids and sirens which is why their order name is called Sirenia.
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