DEEP SEA MYSTERIES AND ODDITIES

DISAPPEARANCES

The aviation industry has experienced numerous unexplained sea

disappearances since its founding. Most recently with the Malaysian

Airlines MH370 jet, one of the most famous pioneers, Amelia Earhart,

also disappeared mysteriously. She and co-pilot Fred Noonan

disappeared over the Pacific Ocean in 1937. Millions of dollars

have been funnelled into finding out the plane’s whereabouts with

no success. Rumours include running out of gas and being killed by

Japanese troops for spying.

UNDER(SEA)GROUND BACTERIA

You might think nothing can live beneath the sea floor, but

scientists recently discovered bacteria living 1,000 feet (300m) below it.

Found by drilling through sediment and crust, the bacteria was feeding

off residue many millions of years old.

BIGFIN SQUID

Looking a bit like a boat rudder, the Bigfin Squid was first seen off the

Hawaiian coast in the mid-2000’s and has been scarcely photographed.

Including its tentacles, it can reach lengths of up to 16ft (5m) long.

BATTLE SNAIL

Snails aren’t the first animal which come to mind when thinking about

body armour, but a newly-discovered (and so yet-named) snail in the

Indian Ocean uses iron compounds in the form of scales to protect its

fleshy foot. The U.S. military is even researching the snail to improve

its battle armour.

HYDROTHERMAL VENT WORMS

Looking like long lipstick containers, hydrothermal vent worms have

neither a mouth nor digestive system. They thus rely on a relationship

with bacteria which use chemicals to make food the worms can absorb.

GONATUS ONYX

Using hooks under its arms, the Gonatus onyx squid holds onto its

huge egg mass for many months at a time before they hatch.

COLD WATER CORALS

Most people think of coral reefs as tropical installations, but we’ve

recently discovered there are also cold-water reefs (many of which are

being destroyed by trawling vessels). Scientists are in the early stages of

study, but they have found a reef off Norway’s coast covering

39 square miles.

LEPTOCEPHALUS GIGANTEUS

Only two of the eel species Leptocephalus giganteus were ever found

and both were larvae. The first (found off the South African coast) was

six foot long and extrapolated to adult size, could measure over

70 foot (21m) long.