9 Deep Sea Creatures That Shouldn’t Logically Exist

The deep ocean is home to some of the most bizarre and fascinating creatures on Earth. These animals have evolved unique adaptations to survive in the extreme conditions of the deep sea, resulting in appearances and behaviors that seem to defy logic. Let’s dive into the mysterious world of these incredible deep-sea dwellers!

1. The Snipe Eel

The snipe eel (family Nemichthyidae) looks like it was designed by a surrealist artist. With its impossibly thin, elongated body and beak-like jaws that curve upward, this creature seems more like a living needle than a fish.

Key features:

• Can grow up to 6.6 feet (2 m) long
• Found at depths between 980 and 14,800 feet (300 to 4,500 m)
• Jaws remain open while swimming to snatch prey

The snipe eel’s large eyes, relative to its body size, help it avoid predators in the dark depths. Its unique jaw structure allows it to effortlessly capture prey as it swims through the water.

2. The Frilled Shark

If you thought sharks couldn’t get any scarier, meet the frilled shark (Chlamydoselachus anguineus). This prehistoric-looking creature has remained largely unchanged for 80 million years, earning it the title of “living fossil”.

Key features:

• Grows up to 7 feet long
• Named for its frilly gills
• Swims in a serpentine fashion like an eel

The frilled shark’s serpentine swimming style and rows of needle-like teeth make it a formidable predator. It primarily feeds on squid, swallowing its prey whole.

3. The Giant Isopod

Imagine a pill bug the size of a house cat, and you’ve got the giant isopod (Bathynomus giganteus). These enormous crustaceans are a prime example of deep-sea gigantism1.Key features:

• Can grow up to 16 inches (40 cm) long
• Scavenges on the seafloor
• Has a hard, armored exoskeleton

Giant isopods roam the ocean floor, feeding on fallen carcasses and other organic matter. Their large size may be an adaptation to the scarcity of food in the deep sea.

4. The Bloody-Belly Comb Jelly

The bloody-belly comb jelly (Lampocteis cruentiventer) sounds like something out of a horror movie, but its gruesome name serves a clever purpose.

Key features:

• Found at depths between 820 and 4,900 feet (250 to 1,500 m)
• Has a bright red stomach
• Displays sparkling light along its body

The jelly’s red belly actually helps it blend in with the dark surroundings. At these depths, red light is absorbed and appears black, making the animal nearly invisible to predators1.

5. The Black Swallower

The black swallower (Chiasmodon niger) takes the phrase “eyes bigger than your stomach” to a whole new level.

Key features:

• Grows up to 10 inches (25 cm) long
• Can swallow prey up to 4 times its length and 10 times its weight
• Has an expandable stomach and retractable teeth

This fish’s ability to consume prey much larger than itself is truly remarkable. Its expandable stomach and specialized teeth allow it to trap and digest massive meals.

6. The Vampire Squid

Despite its name, the vampire squid (Vampyroteuthis infernalis) is neither a vampire nor a squid. This unique cephalopod belongs to its own order, Vampyromorphida.

Key features:

• Scientific name means “vampire squid from hell”
• Has webbed arms that resemble a cape
• Can turn itself inside out for defense

The vampire squid’s ability to invert its cape-like webbing, revealing spiky projections, is a unique defense mechanism that gives it an otherworldly appearance.

7. The Stoplight Loosejaw

The stoplight loosejaw is a master of stealth, using its unique adaptations to hunt in the darkness of the deep sea.

Key features:

• Has a lower jaw with no fleshy floor
• Produces red bioluminescent light
• Can see red light, unlike most deep-sea creatures

This fish’s “stoplight” organs produce red light, which is invisible to most deep-sea creatures. This allows the loosejaw to illuminate its prey without being detected.

8. The Glass Squid

Glass squids are masters of camouflage, using their transparent bodies to avoid detection in the twilight zone of the ocean.

Key features:

• Transparent body
• Eyes on long stalks (in juvenile form)
• Bioluminescent organs to mask eye shadows

The juvenile glass squid’s long eye stalks and bioluminescent organs help it remain virtually invisible to predators.

9. The Cock-Eye Squid

The cock-eye squid, also known as the strawberry squid, has one of the most unusual eye arrangements in the animal kingdom.

Key features:

• One eye twice the size of the other
• Lives in the twilight zone
• Uses different eyes for different purposes

This squid’s mismatched eyes serve distinct functions: the larger eye looks upward for shadows of prey, while the smaller eye watches for bioluminescent signals of predators below.