The larvae of a deep-water tripodfish Bathypterois. Image captured before preservation. As an adult it stands on the bottom on tripod-like fins in water as deep as 5,000 meters. Further proof that Earth is just as breathtaking as the fictional world of Pandora if we open our eyes to its wonders.
Bioluminescence in a deep sea jellyfish.
(via bruiseconstellation)
This is a comb jelly - they’re bioluminescent.
This little beauty is Bathocyroe fosteri, a lobate ctenophore found at intermediate depths in all the seas. It’s very common and abundant near the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, and measures about two inches tall. Because of its fragility, it was only described in 1978, when it was collected from a submersible. This genus can produce blue and green luminescence.
Mollusc Baby
Crown jellyfish
The deep-dwelling squid Histioteuthis heteropsis is covered with photophores, perhaps used to mask its silhouette from predators and prey.
The glass squid, Teuthowenia pellucida, an ecologically important Southern Hemisphere deep-sea squid. This species has light organs on its eyes and possesses the ability to roll into a ball, like an aquatic hedgehog.
Deep-sea jellyfish, Atolla wyvillei. When attacked by a predator, it creates light (bioluminescence) to ’scream’ for help.
The Deep Sea Dragonfish, or Grammatostomias flagellibarba, is a ferocious predator in spite of its small size. It is one of many species known to inhabit the deep oceans of the world. This fish grows to about six inches in length. It has a large head and mouth equipped with many sharp, fang-like teeth. The dragonfish has a long barbel attached to its chin. This barbel is tipped with a light-producing organ known as a photophore. The dragonfish uses this organ like a fishing lure, flashing it on and off and waving it back and forth. Once an unsuspecting fish gets too close, it is snapped up in the dragonfish’s powerful jaws. The dragonfish also has photophores along the sides of its body. These light organs may be used to signal other dragonfish during mating. They may also serve to attract and disorient prey fishes from deep below. The dragonfish lives in deep ocean waters at depths of up to 5000 feet (1,500 meters). They are found in most tropical regions around the world.
Humpback anglerfish
Deep sea fish
Endangered species
A 2006 study by Canadian scientists has found five species of deep sea fish – roundnose grenadier, onion-eye grenadier, blue hake, spiny eel and spinytail skate – to be on the verge of extinction due to the shift of commercial fishing from continental shelves to the slopes of the continental shelves, down to depths of 1600 meters. The slow reproduction of these fish – they reach sexual maturity at about the same age as human beings – is one of the main reasons that they cannot recover from the excessive fishing.
Bioluminescent ‘Green Bombers’ from the Deep Sea
A newly discovered species of deep sea worm — nicknamed “green bombers” — can release body parts that produce a brilliant green bioluminescent display.
Scientists at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego and their colleagues have discovered a unique group of worms that live in the depths of the ocean. Five of these species appear to cast off glowing bombs intended to throw off fish on the lookout for dinner.
