Mental Floss

8 Terrifying Creatures that Haunt the Deep Sea

Don’t worry—you likely won’t encounter any of these during your regular beach vacation.

By mentalfloss .com|
Ever see a salp?
Ever see a salp? | Cultura RF/Alexander Semenov/Getty

From giant tubeworms to fangtoothed fish, there are tons of terrifying creatures lurking in the deep sea.

There’s the giant isopod (Bathynomus giganteus), which can grow over a foot long and is commonly found 7000 feet below sea level. The depths of the ocean are also home to the bloody-belly comb jelly (Lampocteis cruentiventer)—yes, that really is its name—a 6-inch, KONG-shaped glob with a scarlet stomach. The gulper eel (Saccopharynx lavenbergi), with its roughly meter-long tail and gigantic mouth, slinks through the water as delicately as a rhythmic gymnast’s ribbon.

In this episode of The List Show, host and editor-in-chief of Mental Floss Erin McCarthy dives into a few of the organisms adapted to the dark, cold, pressurized environment of the deep sea.

Watch the above video and subscribe to Mental Floss on YouTube for new videos every week.

Read More About Sea Creatures:

Home/THE LIST SHOW