Meet 5 creatures that live in the dark depths of the sea

The seabed is a place that still holds many surprises for mankind. The deeper we dive, the more we find very curious specimens that have adapted - over thousands or millions of years - to survive hidden in deep water. Some of these creatures are already used to, for example, living in complete darkness, being able to hunt (and protect themselves) even without seeing anything. Want to know some examples? Check out our list!

1) Anglerfish

This hideous fish (which does not have a name in Portuguese) became famous thanks to its appearance in the movie “Finding Nemo”. With gigantic heads, sharp teeth and - in the case of females - a lump on its forehead that gives off a soft light, the Anglerfish seems to have come out of a horror movie. He uses this rod to lure and devour other fish, just as in Disney animation.

2) Snailfish

With a gelatinous appearance and very similar to that of tadpoles, Snailfish (which also doesn't have a name in our language) was found approximately 1.5 miles deep during an expedition at Johnston Atoll near Hawaii. Apart from the part of what they look like ghosts, they even look cute - they have big eyes and usually travel in groups.

Most striking of all is that, because of their depth, Snailfish live with a pressure equivalent to 1, 600 elephants stepping on the roof of a small car.

3) Cigar shark

Known by a scientific name that alludes to our country ( Isistius brasiliensis ), the cigar shark lives in the Ecuador region and is famous for its mouth structure, very similar to that of lamprey. Thanks to the shape of its mouth, this nice goldfish can pull bits of meat from its prey. No wonder in the US they are known as cookiecutters - that way used to cut round cookies.

4) Giant Spider Crab

The popular name of the Kaempferi Macrocheira says it all: it is a crab, but it looks like a spider and is gigantic. Considered to be the largest known arthropod, it can measure 3.8 meters with its outstretched paws and weigh 19 pounds - not to mention that its life expectancy is on average 100 years. Fortunately, for arachnophobes on duty, this pet can only be found near Japan.

5) Giant tube worms

Imagine a worm almost 2.4 meters long. Did you enjoy the view? So be aware that if you dive too far into the Pacific Ocean, you may run into an entire community of Riftia pachyptila - a very bizarre species of polychaete that is nothing but seaworms.

Stranger still is the knowledge that they do not feed themselves: they survive only thanks to a symbiotic relationship with a bacterium that lives inside them, converting carbon dioxide into organic carbon.

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