Bioluminescent Ocean life

Bioluminescence is a chemical reaction that produces light. Many deep sea animals use bioluminescence. This blog is dedicated to educating the public about the amazing creatures that thrive in the deep sea. 

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Basket Star

Gorgonocephalus caputmedusae

The Basket Star is a strange yet elegant creature that lives in the deep ocean. It resembles a flesh white ball with gnarled and swirling branches. It thrives in locations with strong currents. Its numerous arms move slowly and wrap around prey. They are one of my favorite animals from the Echinodermata phylum.  

Photo credit

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00227-005-0032-3

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gorgonocephalus

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Helmet Jelly

Periphylla periphylla

The Helmet Jelly can be found at all depths of the ocean. This vibrant and strange jellyfish tends to proliferate in Norwegian fjords. They are one of the dominant predators in these isolated ecosystems. 

Photos

http://www.seawater.no/fauna/cnidaria/periphylla.html

https://www.bigfishexpeditions.com/2019/01/24/norway-deepwater-shark-diving-2018/helmet-jelly/

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Giant Isopod

Bathynomus kensleyi

The Giant Isopod is an unsettling deep sea creature that crawls along the ocean floor scavenging for animal remains and detritus. These invertebrates are part of phenomenon known as abyssal gigantism, which is the tendency for  deep-sea dwelling invertebrates to be larger than their shallower-water counter parts. The Giant Isopod is found between 310m to 2140m in the ocean. 

Photo credit

https://seatrench.tumblr.com/post/615873390014791680/giant-isopod-bathynomus-sp-source

https://alchetron.com/Giant-isopod

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Brittle Stars

Asteroschema Ajax

Brittle stars are in the phylum Enchinodermata and are closely related to sea stars. They have long stringy arms and small podia on the bottoms of their body. They also have a hydrostatic skeleton and have a complex water vascular system. When attacked, they will abandon their arm to confuse predators and make a hasty escape. The photo above is a deep sea brittle star that lives in coral reefs. 

Photo credit: https://species.wikimedia.org/wiki/Asteroschema_ajax

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Scaly Dragonfish

Stomias Boa

The Scaly Dragonfish is about 32cm long and found at depths between 200 to 1500m. The long purple barbel on its chin is used to lure in prey. When the pery gets close enough, it swings its jaws forward swallowing the prey whole.

Photo credit: https://alchetron.com/Stomias

Video on the fish: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=69&v=9oB_61aI2iQ&feature=emb_title

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Squarenose Helmetfish

Scopelogadus beanii

The Squarenose Helmetfish is found between 800m to 4000m in the ocean. It received this unique name due to its scales reminding scientists of an armored helmet worn by medieval knights. It also has unusual holes around its face, and the white strands covering its face are sensory canals. 

Photo credit: https://www.vistaalmar.es/especies-marinas/peces-extranos/449-que-peces-mas-extranos.html

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Wake up babe new fish dropped

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Gulper Eel

Saccopharynx sp.

The  Gulper Eel is known for its massive jaws, which are capable of swallowing prey whole. It’s stomach is also able to expand twice its size. It is found only in the deep see about 2000 to 3000 meters in depth. 

Photo credit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRO0IjSoHGA

https://marinebiochemistrygc2018.weebly.com/deep-sea-adaptations

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Glasshead Grenadier

Hymenocephalus italicus

The  Glasshead Grenadier is a small deep sea fish named due to a transparent memberane that covers its head. It has fragile head bones, and it feeds on surface copepods and crustaceans. This fish is located between 100 m to 2000 m in the ocean. 

Photo credit: https://www.fishbase.se/summary/1720

https://www.futura-sciences.com/planete/photos/oceanographie-abysses-ces-merveilles-profondeurs-40-photos-686/ocean-grenadier-vitrier-hymenocephalus-italicus-poisson-abysses-4541/

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Football Fish

Himantolophus paucifilosus

The Football fish is a deep sea angular fish located between 1000 to 4000 meters in the ocean. The glowing dots on its body are sensory organs called neuromast that help the fish detect changes in the water.

Photo credit: https://alchetron.com/Footballfish

https://www.amazon.com/Creatures-Deep-Search-Monsters-World/dp/1770852816

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Deep-sea white anglerfish

Haplophryne mollis

The Deep-sea white anglerfish is a ghostly white creature found at depths between 1000m to 4000m. The strange bulge between its eyes is a bioluminescent lure. The main fish above is a female and the tiny fish attached to her body are males. Since it is difficult to find mates in the deep ocean, male fish latch onto the female with hooked teeth. Even though the male fish are parasitic, they are eventually reduced to pockets of sperm that are used for reproduction. For all you fellas out there that have a rough time with the ladies, be thankful that you are at least not a bag of gonads floating through the ocean. 

Photo credit: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/440297301041956897/

https://news.cgtn.com/news/3d3d414d3559444f7a457a6333566d54/share_p.html

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Threadfin Snailfish

Careproctus longifilis

The Threadfin Snailfish resembles a prehistoric tadpole that is ghostly white. The holes in its face are large sensory pores that help them detect changes in the ocean. It is often found at depths between 1900 to 2997 meters. 

Photo credit: https://www.timeout.com/singapore/museums/creatures-of-the-deep

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Pram Bug

Phronima sedentaria

The Pram Bug is a deep sea amphipod that is located between 200 to 1000m in the ocean. It has a translucent exoskeleton and can see primarily blue light. It is also is contained in a hollowed out barrel that is used for protection and to house babies. The image above is a female pram bug carrying its young. 

Photo Credit:https://ocean.si.edu/ocean-life/invertebrates/phronima-female-and-young

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Marrus orthocanna

Marrus orthocanna is a deep sea siphonophore found at depths between 400m to 2200m. It has a colony of gas-filled zooids on the top used for locomotion. It also has a long, bright orange tentacles on the bottom. Marrus orthocanna are viscous predators and consume small crustceans and copepods. 

Photo credit: http://www.arcodiv.org/watercolumn/cnidarian/Marrus_orthocanna.html

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Hula Skirt Siphonophore

Physophora hydrostatica

The Hula Skirt Siphonophore a deep sea siphonophore that is found between 700 m to 1000m. It is made of a colony of hundreds tiny zooids. The top portion of the colony holds the swimming bells, which allow the colony to move. The bottom of the siphonophore holds the orange ‘hula skirt,’ which is full of stinging tentacles. 

Photo link : https://twitter.com/montereyaq/status/1162068535331311617?lang=da

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Periphyllopsis braueri

The  Periphyllopsis braueri is a tiny, deep sea jellyfish that is only 6 cm in diameter. It is red-chocolate  in color, and it has eight gonads. Furthermore, it is found at depths between 600m to 1000m. 

Photo credit: https://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/19gulfofalaska/logs/aug2/aug2.html

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Update

Hi everyone, I apologize for the inconsistent posting. I’ve been studying for my Chemistry Praxis. :( There will be more to come soon !