Football Fish

Sea elephant

Carinaria japonica

The Sea Elephant is a translucent sea snail that has a large muscular body and a tiny triangular shell. Its foot is used for crawling on the ground, and it can be transformed into a fin that is used for swimming. It is called the “sea elephant” because it has a small trunk in its mouth that is used to swallow prey. Furthermore, the Sea Elephant eats arrow worms and jellies.

Photo credit

https://bodegahead.blogspot.com/2014/12/carinaria-part-2.html

http://tolweb.org/Carinaria_japonica/28750

Atolla Jelly

Atolla wyvillei

The Atolla Jelly is a fiery, red jellyfish that has an extraordinary display of bioluminescence. When the jelly is attacked, it uses bioluminescence to produce thousands of vibrant, blue flashes; the blue flashes act as an alarm, which draws in bigger predators and warns prey. The jelly can be found at depths between 600 m to 1500m, and it also has a long  hypertrophied tentacle that aids in reproduction. 

Photo credit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atolla_jellyfish

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

Black Medusa

Vampyrocrossota childressi

The Black Medusa is an inky, black hydrozoan that absorbs all light that hits its tiny body. It has a translucent gelatin and a black umbrella; it is also only 1.5 cm in size. Moreover, it is found at depths between 600m to 1500m, and it spends its entire life floating in the deep ocean. 

Photo credit: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/488148047080475827/

Googly-eyed glass squid

Teuthowenia pellucida

The Googly eyed squid is a rare oddity that is found in the southern hemisphere. It has a large, spherical head that is filled with water and teeny, tiny tentacles that help propel it through the water. If it comes across a predator, it deflates its head and draws its tentacles into its cavity. On the other hand, it may also fill the cavity with water to increase its size, and intimidate the predator. If all fails, it will ink and try to escape through the darkness. Furthermore, baby squids can be found at the surface (0-600m); then slowly migrate downwards as they mature into adults (1600-2500m). 

Photo credit: http://animaladay.blogspot.com/2011/07/googly-eyed-glass-squid.html

https://faunafabula.tumblr.com/post/5999675353/googly-eyed-glass-squid-teuthowenia-pellucida

Physonect Siphonophore

Nanomia cara

The Physonect siphonophore has tiny, bubble shaped sacs that are filled with gas. The sacs are called pneumatophores and help this creature move through the deep ocean. It also has venomous tentacles that stun prey and over eighty stomachs. There are numerous amounts of these strange creatures along the east coast, and they have cause some fisheries to collapse. Furthermore, they can be found at depth between 400m to 1000m.  

Photo credit: http://www.seawater.no/fauna/cnidaria/cara.html

https://www.mindenpictures.com/stock-photo-siphonophore-hydrozoan-cnidarian-nanomia-cara-atlantic-nectophores-naturephotography-image90194961.html

Wake up babe new fish dropped

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

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

Silky Medusa

Colobonema sericeum

The Silky Medusa is a gentle and reserved jellyfish; it has white-tipped tentacles that have the ability to detach from its body and bioluminescence when attacked by predators. It can be found drifting between 500 m to 1500 m. Furthermore, it consumes small crustaceans. 

Photo credit:  https://twitter.com/mbari_news/status/949736123760340994

https://www.montereybayaquarium.org/animals/animals-a-to-z/midwater-jelly

Cockatoo Squid

Galiteuthis phyllura

The Cockatoo squid is a highly-specialized oddity of the deep ocean and found at depths between 300 to 1400 m. It is completely transparent, except for its eyes. It also has bioluminescent photophores that are directed downward: this makes it difficult for deep sea predators to see the Cockatoo Squid. It was named after the Cockatoo because it holds its tentacles above its head, resembling the bird. The Cockatoo squid can also get fairly large with adults reaching lengths of 2.7 meters (over 6 ft.) 

Photocredit: https://www.americanscientist.org/article/at-home-in-the-dark

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/28710516347382519/