DEEP SEA MYSTERIES AND ODDITIES THAT WILL LEAVE YOU BAFFLED

GIANT OARFISH

Thought to be the reason for many alleged sea serpent sightings, the

giant oarfish can reach up to 36 feet (11m) long – that’s bigger than

a shipping container. Previously assumed to be quite rare, these

mostly unknown creatures seem to be more common than once thought.

DEEPWATER PHOTOSYNTHESIS

There may be no sunlight at the bottom of the ocean, but some

bacteria near hydrothermal vents use the vents’ dim red glow to

photosynthesize and produce food for themselves. Scientists are

still trying to figure out how it’s all possible.

UPSWEEP

The NOAA listens to sounds from oceans all over the world.

Most have been identified, but the sound known as upsweep remains

elusive to understand. Upsweep is a few seconds of narrow-band

upsweeping sounds and is most active in Spring and Autumn.

VAMPIRE SQUID

The vampire squid is a bizarre creature which produces some of its

own light through glowing tentacle tips and spots on its sides.

If disturbed, it can eject an ink which glows.

THE BALTIC ANOMALY

The Baltic Anomaly is a still-unknown item in the Baltic Sea which some

say could be a pre-Ice Age artefact or Nazi anti-submarine device.

Oddly, divers’ electrical equipment stops functioning within 650 feet

(200m) and a strong radio signal comes off from just near the item.

ANGLERFISH

One of the more commonly referenced deep sea creatures, the anglerfish

has an appendage coming out of its forehead with a light on the end.

It uses this to lure prey in before devouring them with its over-sized mouth.

BLOOP

The bloop is another sound picked up by NOAA in the Pacific, but what

makes it unique is it was detected at monitoring stations over 3,100 miles

(5,000kms) apart. NOAA has now concluded it was ice breaking off a

glacier, but some of its scientists still believe it could be a massive

marine creature.

LOST SUBMARINES

The year 1968 saw the still-unexplained loss of submarines by four

countries: the United States, Russia, Israel, and France. Some say the

losses could have been government cover-ups or (at least in the U.S.

case) the nuclear-tipped torpedoes misfiring into the vessel.

SEA GOOSEBERRY

Nicknamed a sea gooseberry, this species of ctenophore has long,

sticky tentacles it uses to catch small particles and animals.

Unlike most jellyfish, it does not sting.