In the spirit of Halloween I have put together a short list of some “frightening” marine creatures. There is such a rich diversity in the ocean’s depths, some of these species have a more frightful name than appearance. I drew each of the animals so that you can see for yourself how haunting they are.

1. The Vampire Squid

Scientific Name: Vampyroteuthis infernalis

Vampire squids have a silken webbing that connects it’s arms, similar to a cloak. This foot-long cephalopod resides in deep temperate or tropic waters where oxygen levels are depleted. Their depth ranges from 2,000 to 3,000 feet deep! These unique squids do not possess the two long tentacles that other squids do. In fact they share similar characteristics to both the octopus and squid. Although vampire squids are not blood thirsty, they are a living relic. They evolved from an octopus ancestor and their lineage goes back 165 million years!

2. The Spider Crab

Scientific Name: Macrocheira kaempferi

This round shell, long-legged, invertebrate is referred to as the Japanese Spider crab. Spider crabs are armed with a hard and sharp carapace that protects them from predators such as octopuses. This rough carapace can also help camouflage the carb with the surrounding rocky ocean floor. Sometimes this species will decorate their carapace with sponges or other animals to avoid predators. This crab scavenges between depths of 164 to 1,640 feet deep at night. The Japanese Spider crab is the largest arthropod in the world. It can weigh up to 42 pounds and measure 12 and a half feet long!

3. The Goblin Shark

Scientific Name: Mitsukurina owstoni

This strange shark has a unique mouth with an extendable jaw and slender teeth that cannot fit inside but are good for grasping onto prey. The combination of the goblin shark’s extended jaw, and long, prominent snout aid in ambushing predators like fish or squid. With such a long snout, these sharks are able to have many sensory organs called ampullae of Lorenzini all along it. These electroreceptors are jelly filled pores that detect the electrical fields generated by a goblin shark’s prey. This is helpful for hunting in deep, dark waters. Goblin sharks live in the open ocean up to 4265 feet deep, coming only near the surface at night.

Happy Halloween!

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References

Japanese spider crab. (2020, September 16). Retrieved October 26, 2020, from http://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/invertebrates/j/japanese-spider-crab/

Goblin Shark. (n.d.). Retrieved October 26, 2020, from https://oceana.org/marine-life/sharks-rays/goblin-shark

US Department of Commerce, N. (2013, June 01). What are the vampire squid and the vampire fish? Retrieved October 26, 2020, from https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/vampire-squid-fish.html