Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce you to a couple of creatures that will make you “NOPE” so hard you might just never visit a beach again. If you thought great white sharks were the scariest things in the ocean, then you are in for a real treat. Considering the ocean comprises 70% of the Earth’s surface, you know there has to be some freaky things swimming around in those waters. Here are just few of the MANY creepy and disturbing animals that are actually out there existing:
Promacheoteulthis sulcus
Okay sure, those aren’t actual teeth you’re looking at, but nevertheless this squid is quite disturbing. Thankfully, what looks like teeth is actually just a pair of lips that cover the squid’s beak, or in other words, mouth. So far this has been the only Promacheoteulthis sulcus specimen found and studied, as it is extremely rare and found at depths of 1,750–2,000 m (5,740–6,560 ft).
Big-Fin Squid
Straight from your nightmares, here is the Big-Fin Squid. Found at depths of 2,000m (6,500 ft) and estimated to be 8m long (26 ft), this creature makes you want to cry a little bit. Scientists have not studied many of these, so not much is known and no one is sure why they have such long arms. It may be for catching food or for warding off predators. Either way, lets just be glad that thing is far away from the surface.
Anglerfish
You have all seen the one in Finding Nemo, but that animated anglerfish does not even remotely depict how terrifying this fish actually is. Female anglerfish are these big hideous fish that tend to have bioluminescent rods (esca) coming out of their heads to lure their prey. Male anglerfish are much smaller and exist only to find the female, latch onto her, inseminate her, and slowly dissolve away. Nature is cruel.
Cookie Cutter Shark
Cookie Cutter Sharks! You don’t need to be big to evoke fear. These tiny guys are only 42–56 cm (17–22 in) but really do some damage. Those sharp, saw-like teeth you see serve as a “cookie cutter” and cut out round chunks of flesh from prey. Now for the worst part: although extremely rare, attacks on humans have been reported. Cookie Cutter Sharks live in warm waters and migrate to the surface daily at dawn from depths of 3.7 km (2.3 mi) to feast.
Black Swallower
The Black Swallower is a fish that can eat prey up to twice their size and up to 10 times their mass! They themselves are only around 25 cm long and, of course, are found in the deep sea at depths of 700–2,745 m (2,300–9,000 ft). Sometimes these fish don’t know their limits and swallow a prey so large that it ends up killing them. The swallowed prey would decompose quicker than it can be digested. This results in accumulation of gases inside the fish which causes them to ascend towards the ocean’s surface and die.
Frilled Shark
Reaching up to 1.8m (6ft) in length, living in depths of 120-1,280 m (400-4,200 ft), and having 300 needle-like teeth, the Frilled Shark is really freaking creepy looking. They have more teeth than most sharks! They look like eels, swim sort of like eels, but are sharks. No thank you. What is remarkable is that this species is considered to be a “living fossil” as it has not changed much over the past 80 million years.
Goblin Shark
The Goblin Shark has got to be one of the scariest looking sharks out there. When eating its mouth and jaw protrude out to show a horrible set of sharp teeth that is used to catch its prey. The Goblin Shark can grow up to a length of 3.3m (11 ft)! You can relax, though: like most of the other creatures, this shark is found in the deep sea at depths of 1,200m (3,940 ft).
Giant Isopod
Just looking at these giant crustaceans makes you squirm. Giant Isopods usually tend to be around 7.5 and 14.2 inches in length. However, the largest one ever observed was 2.5 feet long! They live on the seafloor and eat any scraps of dead animals that fall to the floor. Just like their land relatives the pill pugs, when threatened they curl up into balls as a means of protection. They are found at depths of 550 to 7020 feet. Ehhhhhhhhhhhh.
Hatchetfish
These ghostly fish are found in deep sea depths of 180-1,370m (600- 4,500 ft) and have a face that can haunt you. Their bulging, odd-looking eyes are hypersensitive to light and allow them to search for any shadows in the depths that might indicate food. One cool thing about these fish is they have bioluminescent lights on their bodies that point downwards. This makes them invisible to predators below them. The light prevents them from creating a shadow, allowing Hatchetfish to blend in with the light shining from the surface.
Seawolf
Yes, you read that right. SEAWOLF. For those of you who didn’t know, this is what Wolfie is actually supposed to look like. The Atlantic Wolfish (aka. Seawolf) is one hideous looking fish. The largest Seawolf ever caught was 50 cm (almost 5 ft) long and weighed almost 18 kg (40 lbs)!!! Those teeth you see are used for crushing up sea urchins and shellfish. These fish can be found in depths of 20 meters around the North-Eastern Coasts of the United Kingdom. What’s a seawolf? NOW YOU KNOW.
Fortunately for us humans, we will probably never encounter any of the animals on this list. Mostly all of them are far, far down in the deepest parts of the ocean and away from the surface. Amazingly, 95% of the ocean has not been explored. One can only imagine how many terrifying creatures still are yet to be discovered. I can’t wait.
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