Are you ready to dive into the deep blue and meet some seriously weird, wild, and wonderful creatures? Some of these deep-sea critters are so crazy, you will find it hard to believe they actually exist! Deep beneath the surface of the ocean, there are hundreds, possibly thousands, of creatures we have no idea exist.
In fact, we know more about the surface of the moon than what’s at the bottom of the ocean. Isn’t that wild? From ginormous crabs to cute creatures that resemble angels, discover these cool ocean creatures below!
5. The Giant Squid
If you’re on social media, you’ve likely heard of the famous giant squid. At least once a year, this deep-sea creature makes an appearance on Facebook where everyone in the comments speculates if it is even real. Well, we are here to tell you that it is!
This fascinating creature grows up to more than 40 feet! Not only does it live up to its name due to its size, but it is also one of the largest animals without a backbone in the entire world! These massive squid live at deep-sea depths of up to 2,000 feet, which is why there is so little information about them.
Their elusiveness is also the reason that many people believe they are made up! In fact, a large majority of the information we have about these guys comes from ones that have washed ashore or been caught in deep-sea fishing nets.
These mollusks are also known for their huge eyes that can reach up to around 25 centimeters in diameter. That’s almost the size of a dinner plate! Their eyes allow them to pick up small amounts of light in the depths of the ocean. Fun fact: giant squids have the largest eyes in the animal kingdom!
4. The Vampire Squid
The vampire squid is definitely deserving of its name. This unique little squid is deep red in color and looks oddly daunting as it floats by in the depths of the ocean. However, despite its oddly terrifying name, it won’t suck your blood.
So, you don’t have to worry as the vampire squid is entirely harmless to humans! These little mollusks much prefer to chow down on matter that floats down to the deepest parts of the ocean, such as dead plankton. These fascinating creatures are a real oddity. For instance, instead of producing ink like others of their species, they instead expel a bioluminescent substance.
This substance derails predators. If you’re looking for sea creatures with an interesting natural defense, it doesn’t get much cooler than this. These cephalopods exist in the very deep sea at depths of up to 900 meters.
3. The Japanese Spider Crab
If you’re not a fan of large creatures with long legs, maybe look away from this one! The Japanese spider crab is a ginormous, gangly, and slightly scary creature that lives in the depths of the ocean. They are known for having a large leg span that can span up to 12 feet from claw to claw.
Resembling a spider as the name suggests, these guys spend their days climbing all over the seafloor to scavenge for decaying matter. While they certainly aren’t dangerous, it is completely normal to be a little terrified of them. These creatures do look odd, but they are hunted widely by people in Japan.
This is because Japanese spider crabs are considered a delicacy due to their sweet, delicate flavor. When in their natural environment, they can live for up to 100 years.
2. The Giant Isopod
If you’ve ever seen slaters or pill bugs at your house, you’ll find that they bear some resemblance to giant isopods. As the name suggests, these crustaceans are absolutely massive. As far as we know, they can grow up to 16 inches in size! While we don’t have a lot of information on them, what we do have is absolutely fascinating.
They can live at depths of up to 2,140 meters! These creatures thrive in very cold waters. Most commonly, they slowly roam the seafloor and scavenge for dead animals, as they aren’t great hunters.
Giant isopods can last a while between feeds due to how scarce food can be on the deep ocean floor. However, when they eventually find food, they will binge themselves. These creatures are pretty spooky and could easily fit into some sort of horror movie.
1. The Sea Angel
Now while this one is much cuter than the others, it is still pretty weird! Sea angels are petite, tiny little slugs that resemble angels. They swim along with their transparent little bodies while flapping their wings much like angels would.
While they may resemble angels, they certainly don’t act as an angel would. These weird little creatures use their little tentacles to grab and pull other snails from their shells. Once they have captured the snails, they devour them.
They exclusively eat other swimming and even members of their own species. Living mainly in cold water, sea angels have evolved to have strong wings that allow them to swim in cold, open water. Deep-sea lovers will be very familiar with this angelic little creature!
