Oceans cover 70% of the Earth’s surface and are the largest habitat in the world. Still, we know only 1% of the sea floor! The discovery is still going on, and the elements discovered continue to baffle everyone. So, let’s have a journey to the deep sea mysteries and oddities- from giant tube worms to lost submarines.
Giant Squid
Only a little is known about the massive creature, though it has raised the roof in media. It measures up to 43 feet(13m) long and weighs up to 450kgs. ). the first live giant squid was filmed in July 2012
Leptocephalus Giganteus
Only two of the eel species Leptocephalus Giganteus were ever found, and both were larvae. The first (found off the South African coast) was six feet long and, extrapolated to adult size, could measure over 70 feet (21m) long.
The Baltic Anomaly
No one has yet arrived at the conclusion of the enigma that, what this unknown item is. Some suspect it to be a pre-Ice Age artifact or Nazi anti-submarine device. To add to its oddity, divers’ electrical equipment stops functioning within 650 feet (200m) and a strong radio signal comes off from just near the item.
Lost Submarines
In 1968, four naval submarines vanished under mysterious circumstances.They belonged to the countries; The United States, Russia, Israel, and France. Two disappeared in the Mediterranean 2 days apart. The Israeli sub-Dakar was found on the seafloor near Cyprus after 31 years. The French vessel Minerve, despite vanishing only 25 miles from home port, has never been found
Frilled shark
It is a rarely seen animal, good at trapping its prey by crimping its body and leaping forward like a snake. What is more interesting is that it is termed as ‘living fossil’ as it exhibits primitive features.
American Samoa
Global warming has threatened marine life, especially coral reefs. But there are corals in American Samoa that have been able to resist the damage caused by global warming. How they are able to do this is still a mystery. Once the mystery is solved, it can help scientists recreate the environment for other coral reefs to be protected.
Scientists predict that the lives of coral reefs would last up to 2050 only, but ironically, American Samoa has grown stronger in size. In fact, it has been able to survive in warm waters that seem deadly for other coral reefs.
Macropinna microstoma
It is The only species of fish in the genus Macropinna, belonging to the Opisthoproctidae, the barreleye family. Its composition is very rare and little-understood- a highly unusual transparent, fluid-filled dome on its head, through which the lenses of its eyes can be seen. It has barrel-shaped eyes which point up (through the dome) while its horizontal in the water and can be rotated forward if it changes position.
Hydrothermal Vent Worms
Looking like long lipstick containers, hydrothermal vent worms don’t have eyes, mouth, legs and digestive system. Thus the Giant tube worms live in symbiosis(mutual beneficial relationship) with Bacteria who synthesize food in return for the accommodation and chemical compounds that giant tube worm provides.
Exact lifespan of giant tube worms is unknown. They disappear (die out) after shutting down of hydrothermal vents.
Read also- Top 5 Most Unusually Weird Looking Delicacies.