A team of marine biologists has just completed an expedition off the coast of Australia, studying the ocean life in the deepest, darkest parts of the waters. And some of the animal and plant life they've brought back is just so hideous, you¡¯re bound to lose sleep for a day or two.
Sampling the Abyss, as the campaign is called, involves a group of 40 researchers led by the Museums of Australia. The team trawled the deep dark waters of the abyss 4,000 metres below the surface, over 31 days, in an effort to unearth creepy crawlies we¡¯ve never seen before. The aim was to study the deep sea creatures and ecosystem found in the trench, far from human eyes.
For those of you with weak constitutions, we advise you to look away now. Your curiosity may be trying to get the better of you but you'll pay the price when you lay eyes on the nightmare-fuel creatures they unearthed.
These creatures have skeletons made up of a lattice of silica filaments, and can grow up to a metre long. They feed by soaking up bacteria and single-celled organisms from the water passing across the surface of their glass-like bodies.
This bright red crab is most certainly not for the eating. They¡¯re not really crabs in the true sense, similar to the hermit crabs. However, they don't have a shell, instead opting for a set of spikes to ward away predators.
Zombie worms are normally found in the decomposing remains of dead whales on the ocean floor. The worms steadily burrow into the carcass¡¯ bones in order to reach the marrow, their sustenance.
No, Penis worm isn¡¯t a better name for this creature because that one¡¯s already taken. Instead this phallic worm was named because of how it contracts its long head inwards when threatened, making it look. like a peanut. And despite all innuendo-inducing appearance, this creature can reproduce both sexually and asexually.
Despite the name, this isn¡¯t actually a spider at all, but one of the oldest arthropods to ever exist on Earth. Growing to about 50 cm, these spiders spend most of their time on the ocean floor, and live by sucking the juices out of sea anemones.
The Dumbo octopus was so named because of its oversized ¡°ears¡±, similar to the adorable cartoon elephant. It flaps these ears to glide gracefully through the murky waters.
The Blob Fish is actually another specimen of an older discovery in the Tasman Sea in 2003. The poor thing was a viral sensation at the time, even winning the title of Ugliest Fish 2013. It has very soft flesh, and lies in wait to ambush its prey when it passes by..
Found four kilometres below the water¡¯s surface, the Faceless Fish is aptly described by its name. The first specimen was collected more than 140 years, and has been rediscovered in Australia more than a century later.
The Coffinfish is actually a part of the anglerfish series. It draws in its prey using a natural fishing rod with fluffy bait atop its head, and can puff itself up with water to look more threatening to predators.
The cream of the crop, meet the Cookiecutter shark, a name that¡¯s quite very literal. This nasty predator lives 10,000 metres below the surface, preying on big fish, whales, dolphins and even occasional unfortunate swimmers. Once it latches onto a piece of flesh, it refuses to let go until it comes away with a cookie-sized bite of meat.