Did you know that blue whales are the largest creature ever to have lived on Earth? They’re even bigger than dinosaurs! Head to the playground with some sidewalk chalk and a tape measure to see if you can draw a life-size blue whale model.
Meet the 50 Weirdest Deep Sea Creatures Lurking Beneath the Waves
These are the most bizarre aliens . err, animals . in the ocean.
By Courtney Linder and Dan Shapley Updated: Jun 28, 2023 4:07 PM EST
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Scientists know more about space than the ocean, according to Columbia University’s Earth Institute. So in a sense, a majority of the creatures lurking below the surface may as well be aliens. Meanwhile, researchers from Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia, Canada believe that 91 percent of these marine animals are still unknown to us.
Of the 235,000 or so species we do know about, many have adapted to their environment with peculiar camouflage, bioluminescence, and mating habits—leading to some seriously strange appearances. These are our 50 favorite deep sea creatures.
✅ More from Popular Mechanics:
Peacock Mantis Shrimp
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Found in the Indian and tropical western Pacific oceans, the peacock mantis shrimp is a candy-colored crustacean known for its ability to quickly “punch” prey with its front two appendages. According to Oceana, the international ocean preservation advocacy group, this shrimp’s punch is one of the fastest movements in the animal kingdom—so much so, that it’s strong enough to break an aquarium’s glass wall. But no worries: They mostly only use their fists of steel to break open mollusks and dismember crabs.
Pink See-Through Fantasia
Laurence Madlin
Its name makes it sound like a piece of sexy lingerie, but don’t be fooled: the pink see-through fantasia is a sea cucumber, found about 1.5 miles deep into the Celebes Sea in the western Pacific, east of Borneo. It was only discovered a little over a decade ago, back in 2007, but the curious sea cucumber has a survival tactic that points to its longtime evolution: bioluminescence to ward off predators. The pink see-through fantasia is named for its transparent skin, through which its mouth, anus, and intestines are all visible.
Read an ocean book
Whether you’re looking for picture books or chapter books, fiction or nonfiction, our list of terrific ocean books has got you covered.
Make an ocean in a bottle
Turn an old water bottle into a mini-aquarium. Sand, shells, and plastic sea creatures bring the ocean to you anytime.
Dive into an ocean-themed sensory bin
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Round up shells, toy sea animals, and maybe even a boat or two, then drop them into a bin of water. Every kid will enjoy splashing around while they learn!
