NAME: The long-nosed Chimaera.
This is an ancient, deep-ocean relative of sharks and rays. The spine on its back is highly toxic.
Long-nosed chimaeras are rare, deep water fishes found in temperate and tropical seas, living to depths of 2000m. They are larger and have more elongated bodies than the other chimaerids and have snouts elongated into cylindrical or flattened points. They have long tails.
Long-nosed chimaeras are rare, deep water fishes found in temperate and tropical seas, living to depths of 2000m. They are larger and have more elongated bodies than the other chimaerids and have snouts elongated into cylindrical or flattened points. They have long tails.
The chimaera is usually between 1 and 1.5m long (including its long tapering snout and fins), with hard and resilient snouts rich in sensory organs, used to dig in soft muddy bottoms in search of shellfish and crustaceans that make up the bulk of its diet. Their skin is orange-brown in colour, paler beneath, and has some irregular darker markings.
NAME: Shapeshifter (Mimic Octopus)
The Shapeshifter (Mimic Octopus) in the guise of a sea snake (left) and flounder (right)
The colorful and graceful mimic octopus boasts some of the most elaborate defensive maneuvers in nature. To confuse both predator and prey alike, it actually twists its semifluid form into the shapes of other sea creatures, changing its color and behavior accordingly. They have been observed copying seahorses, stingrays, flatfish, sea snakes, jellyfish, squid, starfish, crabs, lionfish, and more. There may yet be unknown transformations as well.
NAME: Deep-Sea Anglerfish
The darkest depths of the sea - where the pressure could shatter a human skull - are perpetually black, freezing cold, and absolutely teeming with life. This harsh environment is actually thought to boast a wider range of species than any other ecosystem on earth, including even the rainforest. New animals are discovered there regularly, and the forms taken by creatures at these depths can be baffling.
Probably the largest and most common group of the abyssal fish, deep-ocean anglers boast one of nature's most extreme examples of sexual dimorphism (physical difference between genders). The female angler (three examples shown above) is a large, bloated predator that lures prey directly into her jaws with a luminous "fishing pole". The male, however, is a tiny, eyeless creature with highly developed nostrils and very little else. Once he has sniffed out a female, he locks his jaws onto her flesh and begins to drink her blood. He will remain there for life, losing most of his non-reproductive organs as his skin and circulatory system merges with those of his mate. Some females may carry several parasitic husbands at once. It is not unheard of for a male to attach to a female of the incorrect species.
NAME: Fangtooth or Ogrefish (with an attached male)
The Fangtooth or "ogrefish" is a large abyssal hunter with tough, armored skin and four long, straight teeth that resemble iron nails. These teeth are so long that when the jaw is shut, the lower pair must slide into special sheathes on either side of the fish's brain to avoid impaling it.
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