weird fish

The species holds pride of place as the first deep-sea angler ever found. The original specimen washed ashore in Greenland in 1833; at 22 inches long, it is still the largest one on record. Since no females of this species have ever been found bearing parasitic males, biologists assume they are fertilized by free-swimming mates.

Female blackdragons are about two feet (61 cm) long and have fanglike teeth and a long chin whisker. The males are small, about three inches (8 cm) in length, and brownish in color. They have no teeth, no chin barbel and no stomach. Unable to eat, the male lives only long enough to mate.

The unusual animal, called Phronima, an Amphipod, is one of the many strange species recently found on an expedition to a deep-sea mountain range in the North Atlantic.

Axolotls are like the cute anime pet you never had but always wanted, because you saw it on a deck of Pok?mon cards. Tack onto that the ability to completely regenerate any dangling limb, and youve got yourself a real live Tamigachi! Another cool thing about axolotls is that they stay in their larval state even into adulthood, when they start becoming sexually mature?talk about babies having babies! Maury Povitch would have a field day with these weird sea creatures. Which of course, only makes them weirder.

Its oxymoronic-sounding name alone conjures up visions of a shark from a Disney movie a fluffy, fun little animal that wags its fin like Pluto wags its tail. Well, perhaps that assessment isnt too far off. The frilled shark is not your typical shark, judging by looks alone. It closely resembles an eel so much so that its mistaken for an eel quite often, and the only real distinguishing features are its signature six gill slits (thats like a Hells Angel tattoo for sea creatures).

While the Scottish Highlands have a history of having things appear out of the mist (is Brigadoon humor still in, or is 60+ years too much time?), it is the The Loch Ness Monster, or Nessie as weve come to know her, that has become the most popular Scottish Highlands mist dweller. The story goes that in August of 1933, the Courier published an article stating that a man had witnessed what appeared to be a dragon ... or at least, the closest thing he had ever seen to a dragon. Years passed, and evidence proving Nessies existence (including photographs, video and even sonar) mounted. Because of this evidence, The Loch Ness Monster has been neither confirmed nor denied though the scientists in the room may beg to differ.

This weird sea creature mesmerizes its prey by flashing it but not in the whats under that trench coat kind of way. In an actual, literal light gets in youreyes kind of way. By emitting flashes of light used to blind their prey, the Dana Octopus Squid successfully disorients, then captures them. Which begs the question whatever happened to stimulating conversation?

Although the Longhorn Cowfish tends to look like a hovercraft when its moving along, its not quite as fun as the Bumper Car-esque exterior it tends to exude. In fact, what it does exude is a poisonous toxin from the mucous secretions of their skin, rendering their flesh a deadly delicacy (should you be so inclined to eat one, since it has cow in the name and fast food these days will take anything they can get). The good news is, they tend to make a very distinct grunting noise when theyve been captured so just be sure to listen carefully to your next double cheeseburger.

Helping it stay true to its name, the Vampire Squid comes complete with its own cape, made from arms connected by black webbing. The webbing help propel it through the water and almost fly like you guessed it a bat. But by far, the coolest weirdest thing about this sea creature is its ability to hypnotize its prey using whats knowns as photophores on its arms. So basically its a living, breathing dance club.

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 dragonfishs 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.