10. RED-LIPPED BATFISH: Found around the Galapagos Islands, this unusual fish is not very good at swimming…
…it instead uses its unique fins to walk the ocean floor.
And it has an ingenious spine-like projection on its back to lure prey, and uses a battering-ram like structure on its head to attack.
9. CHRISTMAS TREE WORMS: Each worm has two brightly coloured tree-like crowns that protrude from its tubular body.
The incredible network of “leaves” radiate from the worms central spine…
…and are used for respiration and for catching food. Most of the worms body is actually not visible, as they are burrowed down and anchored into coral — and will quickly retract into their bores when threatened.
8. GIANT OARFISH: The world’s longest bony fish, reaching a recorded length of 36 feet… It is thought likely to be the source of worldwide “sea-serpent” stories.
It’s organs are concentrated toward the head end of it’s body… Possibly allowing it to survive losing large segments of its tail.
Inhabiting the mesopelagic layer, it is thought capable of diving as deep as 1000 meters (3,300 ft).”
7. LEAFY SEADRAGON: A masterfully camouflaged fish, the leafy seadragon is found off the southern coast of Australia.
As well as being ingeniously camouflaged, these exquisite creatures employ a subtle means of propulsion…using their two near transparent fins to maintain the illusion of floating seaweed.
6. FIREFLY SQUID: These amazing creatures are capable of bioluminescence… that means they can produce their own light via an organ in each tentacle called a photo-sphore.
During the day they live at depths of several hundred meters, but at night they return to the surface, and in numbers they can produce an incredible sea of blue light.
They are also capable of “counter-illumination” which makes it very difficult for a predator to spot them from below.
5. Pink Sea-Through Fantasia: This rare translucent animal lives in the Celebes Sea of the western Pacific Ocean.
Sometimes mistaken for a jelly-fish, this cleverly mobile sea-cucumber is capable of navigating safely around prey while travelling upwards of 3000 feet form the seabed in search of food.
4. Sarcastic Fringehead: This notoriously ferocious and territorially aggressive fish…
…is known to wrestle with other fringeheads; pressing their over-sized mouths against each other in an attempt to establish dominance.
3. BARRELEYE: These fish are named for their huge, telescoping barrel-shaped eyes which are located inside a protective transparent dome of soft tissue.
Their acutely light sensitive binocular eyes, which can be directed forward, are generally directed upwards and are capable of detecting the silhouettes of potential food sources from vast distances.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mimic_oc…
2. MIMIC OCTOPUS: The mimic octopus is a remarkable species of octopus capable of impersonating an array of other sea animals.
Not only can it change skin pattern and color to suit its background, as other cephalopods can, the Mimic octopus can shape shift to an extraordinary degree…
Both as a means of tricking unsuspecting prey. And by fooling potential predators — “by discerning and impersonating the sea creature that will present the greatest threat to its current possible predator.”
1. PEACOCK MANTIS SHRIMP: Forget Mike Tyson or Rocky Marciano, for pound-for-pound power nothing comes close to this shrimpy super-boxer.
The 4-6 inch mantis shrimp has the fastest punch in the known universe!
