The ocean is a mysterious place and is the home of some of the strangest animals on the planet. Although new species get discovered weekly, 71 in 2019. These are the five strangest animals of the ocean.
#5 Gulper Eel
Despite what you might think the Gulper Eel isn’t actually an eel, it’s a fish. They live on depths to 10.000 feet and have some extraordinary feats. First of all they have a big row of teeth and are bio-luminescent. The most extraordinary of all is their jaws which can fold open to almost 180 degrees. With those jaws they prey on fish that are bigger than they are. Oh and they can blow themselves up when they feel threatened.
#4 Frilled Shark
This friendly fellow lives in the Atlantic and the Pacific ocean but not as deep as you might wish. The Frilled Shark with it’s shark head and snake-like body has been seen in water as shallow as 160 feet. This shark is a true dinosaur since fossils have been found of the Frilled Shark dating back 2.5 million years ago.
#3 Giant Octopus
On of the more common things in the list is an octopus but they are one of the strangest animals in the sea. For instance have you ever seen a octopus trying to eat a eagle? Well here you go. Don’t worry though, the fisherman rescued the eagle and he is just fine. Nature is weird.
#2 Blobfish
You might have seen this Bloblfish before since it has been named the ugliest animal of the world many times. But did you know that this is not their natural appearance. In their natural habitat they look much more like a normal sea creature. Only if they are taken up to the surface they take their ugly form. This is due to the decompression damage they suffer when taken up from the depths.
#1 The Black Swallower
The black swallower is a deep sea fish which lives around the tropic zones. This elusive fish is rarely caught on camera and is almost only seen as by-catch or when a dead one washes up on the beach. The Black Swallower is know for it’s ability to eat swallow prey much lager than itself. It can eat prey which is twice it’s length and ten times it mass and swallows it whole. Black swallowers have been found to have swallowed fish so large that they could not be digested before decomposition set in, and the resulting release of gases forced the swallower to the ocean surface.