Weird Sea Monsters

More new species have been discovered this past week off the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador as scientists were using a robot to take pictures and grab samples of coral and sponges.

The Canadian scientists were on a 20-day expedition when they started gathering samples from 3 kilometers deep in the ocean.

What they found was 2 new species of coral and at least 6 different sponge species which the scientists called “trees of the ocean” because of their importance in the ocean ecosystem.

These sponges and corals were examined and thought to be over 1,000 years old. The new specimens are crucial to marine life because the newly found coral species for example, is several meters long and helps to chance the flow of water currents – just like a tree in a forest serves to cut down wind and house birds and other creatures.

An astonishing discovery was made when researchers found the remains of a “sea monster” in the Peruvian desert. According to researchers, the sea monster fossil is three times the size of a modern day killer whale.

At first, researchers thought the remains were that of elephant trunks, but, as they not, there were no elephants in the Peruvian desert.

Fossilized Teeth

“There were no elephants in South America before 3 million years ago, and the specimens found have an age of 12 to 15 million years, so that was impossible,” said Professor Jelle Reumer, one of the team of scientists who found the fossil in the Pisco-Ica desert in coastal Peru.

The remains of this sea monster, also called “Leviathan Melvillei” included a jaw bone, and several teeth, each measuring 12cm in diameter and 36cm in length!

They concluded that the species went extinct due to climatic changes.

Is this really a mythical creature or a water-logged bear cub? This snaggle-toothed, furry creature was found in the Hudson Bay, Ontario, when it was pulled out of the water by a dog.

“No one has seen one for 40 years or so. The elders have a word for it: omajinaakoos. In English, it means ‘the ugly one’.”

Although many people seem to think that this creature is indeed the mythical creature dubbed “The Ugly One”, scientists say that this could be the result of water decomposition and that it is simply a bear cub.

This giant Arapaima fish is one of the largest freshwater species in the world and a bizzare one at that! In this picture, a diver shares a tank with the adult Arapaima at an aquarium in Manaus, Brazil.

These species can reach lengths of up to 10 feet (3 meters) and weigh up to 400 pounds (180kgs).

Up until now, it was thought impossible for any living and breathing creature to survive without oxygen, but scientists have found the first animals that can survive as well as reproduce without any oxygen at all.

These tiny-sized creatures were found at the bottom of the Mediterranean sea. The scientific team found three new species of this non-oxygen group called Loricifera group. They are called so because the creatures are covered in a thick, protective layer or also known as lorica.

“It is a real mystery how these creatures are able to live without oxygen because until now we thought only bacteria could do this,” said Professor Danovaro, who heads Italy’s Association of Limnology (the study of inland waters).

“We did not think we could find any animal living there. We are talking about extreme conditions – full of salt, with no oxygen.”

The scientists will now continue on their search to find other like species to better understand the wast oceans that surround us.

This odd-looking multi-colored psychedelic frog fish is found off the waters in Indonesia and is scientifically known as the Histiophryne Psychedilica. This frog fish hops along the bottom of the ocean and uses its fins as legs and his gills to propel itself.

This massive, humongous, 8 foot-long catfish was caught in the Chiang Khong district of Thailand, and is believed to be the biggest freshwater fish ever caught. Sadly, this huge catfish is listed as “critically endangered” by the World Conservative Union.

Villagers that caught the catfish tried to keep it alive for as long as possible, but it died and eventually became dinner.

As if there weren’t enough weird looking things in the ocean, the Piglet Squid (Helicocranchia) is one of the oddest-looking sea creatures I have ever laid eyes on. First off, it’s absolutely adorable looking…to the point where you’d probably want it as a pet.

The Piglet Squid is you guessed it, a squid that resembles a little piglet. It was caught off the shores of Nigeria and is characterized by having a very large funnel and small paddle-like fins. These squids are about the size of an avocado and usually live in deep ocean waters all across the world.

All sorts of creatures exist in the deep sea, and this one struck me as being particularly odd with its horns protruding out of its head like that of a cows or a bulls. This brightly colored horn fish is called the Longhorn Cowfish (Lactoria Cornuta) and lives in the Indo-Pacific region.

This fish is only about 10 cm long, and although it is not really suited for a home aquarium, it is becoming increasingly popular as a pet. I say..let the poor things live in their wast ocean, don’t keep it locked up!

This bizzare-looking creature is called the Orange Sea Pen and is abundant in the temperate waters of the northeastern Pacific. Each Orange Sea Pen (Ptilosarcus gurneyi) is a colony of polyps working together to survive as a whole.The primary polyp loses its tentacles and becomes the stalk of the sea pen, with a bulb as its base.