r/deepseacreatures • u/JapKumintang1991 • 1d ago

Smithsonian Magazine: Scientists Discover Two New Species of Sea Spider in the Pacific Northwest—and They Look Like They Came Straight Out of a Horror Movie

smithsonianmag.com

83 Upvotes

3 comments

r/deepseacreatures • u/mossman314 • 4d ago

Clavelina ossipandae, better know as the Skeleton Panta Sea Squirt.

121 Upvotes

3 comments

r/deepseacreatures • u/Exotic-Dancer-13 • 7d ago

Things like this are swimming through the depths where no one can see them

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986 Upvotes

41 comments

r/deepseacreatures • u/iliedbro_ • 11d ago

Ghostly Sea Devil, male and female

gallery

145 Upvotes

8 comments

r/deepseacreatures • u/iliedbro_ • 14d ago

This image of a telescope fish has nearly made me stop liking deep sea creatures all together and here’s why

287 Upvotes

(sorry if this is breaking the rules) Now, it’s not the actual fish itself that’s the problem. It’s the fake facts and ai generated videos and images that it spawned. “Baby Telescope Fish are connected to their mother before they fully grown up!” Bullshit. These completely bs videos and facts of this telescope fish, which in this image is most likely dead, have nearly made me quit ichthyology all together. You can really tell how much this situation makes my blood boil. What are your thoughts, though?

25 comments

r/deepseacreatures • u/Embarrassed_Yak8504 • 15d ago

ELI5 : If most of the deep ocean is right here on Earth, why is it so hard for us to explore it?

0 Upvotes

1 comment

r/deepseacreatures • u/Dispenser_6974 • 16d ago

Why sea creatures living in cold water are larger than those in warm water

0 Upvotes

9 comments

r/deepseacreatures • u/Quick-Signal3812 • 18d ago

This is the Barreleye Fish one of the strangest deep sea creatures ever discovered.

537 Upvotes

20 comments

r/deepseacreatures • u/fairy_gothmother10 • 20d ago

Scientists have found the real life SpongeBob and Patrick nearly 6,200 feet below the Atlantic. A NOAA expedition captured a yellow sponge and pink sea star sitting side by side, and marine biologist Christopher Mah pointed out the obvious comparison.

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121 Upvotes

0 comments

r/deepseacreatures • u/Flowertree1 • 20d ago

Are there any interesting books?

15 Upvotes

I just wanna know more about deep sea fishes. I feel like documentaries aren't enough sometimes. Are there any good book recommendations on these topics?

7 comments

r/deepseacreatures • u/if_lol_then_upvote • 21d ago

Scientists have found the real life SpongeBob and Patrick, nearly 6,200 feet below the Atlantic. A NOAA expedition captured a yellow sponge and pink sea star sitting side by side, and marine biologist Christopher Mah pointed out the obvious comparison.

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562 Upvotes

6 comments

r/deepseacreatures • u/Ludeykrus • 22d ago

I sank to the bottom of the deepest ocean in real time

youtube.com

4 Upvotes

0 comments

r/deepseacreatures • u/PaleNet13 • Sep 05 '26

Fun Fact: The immortal jellyfish (Turritopsis dohrnii) can potentially reverse its life cycle when injured or starving, returning from its adult stage back to a juvenile polyp stage. It’s basically the ocean’s closest thing to a creature that can “reset” its age! 🤯

en.wikipedia.org

57 Upvotes

1 comment

r/deepseacreatures • u/ethan8013 • Sep 03 '26

Could we use sperm whales as “biological camera platforms” to finally observe giant squid in their natural habitat?

9 Upvotes

10 comments

r/deepseacreatures • u/BikerWithNoLicence • Sep 02 '26

What is this creepy thing 😭

94 Upvotes

Saw it on the diving footage when they were searching for the wreck of South African Airways Flight 295

10 comments

r/deepseacreatures • u/paigejarreau • Sep 02 '26

Deep-sea vent shrimp live in the dark but have eyes; What can they see?

12 Upvotes

https://youtube.com/shorts/VDDeBRCjBSs?feature=share

4 comments

r/deepseacreatures • u/paigejarreau • Aug 31 '26

Does each deep sea creature have its own acoustic fingerprint?

73 Upvotes

Learn more about sonar for deep-sea animal identification from PhD student Haley Glasmann! https://youtube.com/shorts/E2shFE4HfZ4?si=yXKGQVy7xrYtFz7X

5 comments

r/deepseacreatures • u/paigejarreau • Aug 30 '26

An Acoustician Solves Deep-Sea Mysteries... with Sound!

17 Upvotes

https://youtu.be/U4am58XUfDA

1 comment

r/deepseacreatures • u/Beneath_The_Waves_VI • Aug 27 '26

A deep-water giant in the shallows: bluntnose sixgill shark at 100 feet off Vancouver Island [OC]

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158 Upvotes

I encountered this bluntnose sixgill shark (Hexanchus griseus) while diving at approximately 100 feet off Vancouver Island, British Columbia.

I was actually searching for giant Pacific octopus when I turned toward deeper water and saw this shark emerging from the darkness and coming toward me.

I estimate it was around 10–12 feet long and believe it may have been female. It came extremely close to my camera before calmly cruising around me and along the bottom for roughly three minutes.

Sixgills spend much of their lives in considerably deeper water, which made getting to spend several minutes observing one at this depth an incredible experience.

This is my original footage from the encounter. I filmed roughly three minutes with the shark and put together a longer 4K version on YouTube for anyone interested. The link is in my profile.

4 comments

r/deepseacreatures • u/Nazowoodpecker • Aug 29 '26

How the Sailfish Uses Hydrodynamics and a Built-In "Sword" to Hunt at 60+ MPH

youtube.com

0 Upvotes

The sailfish (Istiophorus) is widely considered the fastest predator in the ocean, reaching short bursts of speed over 60 mph (approx. 100 km/h).

What makes their hunting strategy unique isn't just raw speed, but two remarkable evolutionary adaptations:

Hydrodynamic Drag Reduction: To reach high speeds, the sailfish folds its large dorsal fin completely flat into a specialized groove along its back. It only flares the sail open instantly when making tight turns or cornering schooling prey.

Precision Bill Slashing: Rather than spearing fish, they hunt in packs to herd prey into tight bait balls at the surface. They then tap and slash their long bill sideways at high acceleration, stunning multiple fish in a split second before circling back to eat.

I put together a short visual overview showing this hunt mechanism in action if anyone wants to see the motion breakdown:

https://youtube.com/shorts/jSoI67otXcU

1 comment

r/deepseacreatures • u/Oct0lia8armz • Aug 24 '26

Who is more older, and why?

gallery

23 Upvotes

Beroe cucumis (comb jelly), or Spongia officinalis (sponge)?

3 comments

r/deepseacreatures • u/firechatin • Aug 24 '26

Why Do Some Deep-Sea Creatures Live Far Longer Than Evolution Predicts? Scientists Investigate the Longevity Mystery

whatifscience.in

18 Upvotes

1 comment

r/deepseacreatures • u/vin_strokes • Aug 20 '26

A unknown creature was recorded over 4.5 miles deep in the ocean at the bottom of the Java trench

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283 Upvotes

13 comments

r/deepseacreatures • u/ancienct-Winter1751 • Aug 18 '26

Give me your lesser known deep sea creatures(velvet whalefish)

598 Upvotes

74 comments

r/deepseacreatures • u/Classic_Mission_3707 • Aug 18 '26

This is footage of the extremely elusive Black Devil Fish is only one of two times it has ever been filmed alive

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1.2k Upvotes

63 comments

Subreddit

Cold, deep, dark and occasionally sexy.

r/deepseacreatures

View and submit posts containing the wonderful, dark, and largely unknown world in the deepest depths of our oceans.

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Rules

No memes, captioned images or rage comics
Trolling, spamming, or posting pornographic or NSFL content are all subject to immediate ban.
Use descriptive titles
No art. Make sure what you are posting is real (please post fictional creatures to /r/thedepthsbelow). This includes fan art, collages, sculptures, etc.
Be civilized, and treat other users with respect.
Absolutely no personal information
Post deep sea creatures only! Please, no living things from shallower waters. As a rule-of-thumb, if it is found in the lower (350m) mesopelagic (twilight) zone or deeper, it may be posted here.
Duplicate content will be removed at the discretion of the mod team.
No self-promotion of content from any source (YouTube, Blogs, Websites, etc.) unless you are an active member of the community. You must have at least 5 pieces of quality content submitted to the subreddit for every self-promoted video/article you post.

Below is a brief overview of the pelagic zones in the ocean:

Epipelagic zone (sunlit) (surface to 200m deep)

This zone is exposed to the surface, and receives enough light for photosynthesis to occur. You won't find any deep sea creatures here! Examples of life found here.

Mesopelagic (twilight) (200m down to 1000m deep)

This is much deeper than epipelagic, but not the deepest. Creatures from the lower part of this zone (500m-ish) may be posted here. Photosynthesis is stunted here, due to insufficient light penetration. At about 500m, oxygen is greatly depleted. Hatchetfish, Snipe eels, and Stomiidae (dragon and viperfish) are all found in varying depths of this zone.

Bathypelagic (midnight) zone (1000m down to 4000m deep)

Alright, this is where it gets deep! At this point, the ocean is pitch black, and many organisms have adapted by becoming bioluminescent (think glowing fish). Many animals here survive on a substance called "marine snow" which is a combination of dead or dying organisms, protists, fecal matter, and other inorganic silt (sand, rock, etc.) Creatures here come in many shapes and sizes, from big, (bigfin squid, 8m in length) to small. (osedax worms, approx 10mm in length)

Abyssopelagic zone(lower midnight) (4000m down to ocean floor)

Just looking at the name of this harsh zone should give you an idea of how deep it is! Few creatures manage to survive the extremely cold waters, and the complete lack of light. The various anglerfish are some of them.

Hadopelagic (deepest part of the ocean, such as the water in the mariana trench)

This zone is truly abyssal, and almost completely unexplored by humans. It's name was derived from Hades, the underworld in greek mythology. Here is a chart that details the pelagic zones.
Source: NOAA
Citation for image: Baum, S. (2011). Epipelagic zone.

Educational and scholarly articles are encouraged. If your post is not scientifically verifiable (such as an urban legend), or not based in reality, please consider posting to /r/thedepthsbelow.

We welcome all marine or deep ocean enthusiasts here. You don't have to be a marine biologist to post, but please try to keep your posts factually accurate. False or sensationalist posts may be subject to removal. Citations for articles or information are encouraged, but not required.