The Mariana Trench is still somewhat of a mystery to humans above the surface. But over the years, scientists have discovered that this vast open pit holds some of the strangest marine creatures on Earth. From cute little octopuses to bone-eating worms, we are going to look at ten of the strangest creatures in the Mariana Trench.
What is the Mariana Trench?
The Mariana Trench is the deepest oceanic trench in the world. The bottom of the Mariana Trench is the “Challenger Deep”, and lies at a maximum depth of 36,037 feet (10,984 meters). The Mariana Trench is thought to have formed with the collision of two tectonic plates, and it is located in the western Pacific Ocean, around 124 miles (200 kilometers) to the east of the Mariana islands. The trench is around 1,580 miles (2,550 kilometers) long and 43 miles (69 kilometers) wide.
There are some bizarre and fascinating creatures in the Mariana trench, let’s take a look at a few of them.
10 Bizarre Creatures in the Mariana Trench
Deep-sea dragonfish
The deep-sea dragonfish (sometimes known as the scaleless dragonfish) has extremely large teeth in relation to its body size, and is a ferocious predator in the depths of the Mariana Trench. The deep-sea dragonfish can create its own light with help from bioluminescence. The fish flashes its lights to attract prey and even uses the lights to signal to mates. The deep-sea dragonfish has quite a gruesome appearance with a large head and sharp, fang-like teeth that help it to grab hold of small fish and crustaceans.
Dumbo octopus
The dumbo octopus is definitely a strange deep-sea creature, but many consider it to be the cutest of all marine life with its cartoon-like appearance thanks to huge dumbo-like ears. The dumbo octopus only grows to be around 8 inches (20cm), and it has little arms which add to the cuteness. They are the deepest known species of octopus and they feed off snails, worms, and other small prey they can find on the ocean floor.
Zombie worms
Probably the creepiest known marine life in the world, the zombie worm feeds off of bones and remains of carcasses that drop to the deep ocean floor. Zombie worms do not have teeth or a stomach, so they feed by secreting an acid that dissolves bones to expose fats. They then digest these fats using symbiotic bacteria. In total, 15 species of the zombie worm have been discovered since the first sighting in 2002.
Deep-sea hatchetfish
Aptly named for its hatchet-shaped body, there are 45 known species of the deep-sea hatchetfish, all varying in size. The largest species of deep-sea hatchetfish grows to around 6 inches (12cm) long. The smaller species tend to be covered in silver scales, whereas the larger ones are more likely to be a brown or green color. Hatchetfish have tubular eyes that point upwards, which enables them to look for food that falls from above.
Frilled shark
A lot of people are scared of sharks thanks to their portrayals in the media and film. And although we disagree with this inaccurate portrayal, we have to admit that this shark is a bit scary! The frilled shark has over 300 sharp teeth, large eyes, and a wide, eel-like grin. The frilled shark feeds on cephalopods, and smaller sharks and fish, and can be found as deep as 5,200 feet (1,524 meters) deep.
Vampire squid
The spooky vampire squid is found 2,000-3,000 feet (600-900 meters) deep and has a deep red color with bioluminescent lights. When threatened, the vampire squid can shoot bioluminescent liquid that sticks to the attacker. This shocks the attacker and allows the squid to make an escape. It also makes the attacker more visible to predators. This squid definitely deserves its place on the list of strangest creatures in the Mariana Trench!
Barreleye fish
The barreleye fish (sometimes known as the spook fish) could be a contender for the strangest of all the strange creatures that can be found in the Mariana Trench. Its head is inside a transparent dome which protects it from stings when it eats its favorite meal: jellyfish. Inside the dome, the barreleye fish has large eyes that point upwards to help it look for its meals in the water overhead. It also has large nostrils at the front of the dome which are often mistaken for its eyes.
Pink see-through fantasia
This translucent sea cucumber looks like something from a horror movie, with pink colored see-through skin that shows its internal organs. The pink see-through fantasia feeds on benthic sediment on the deep ocean floor. It can use bioluminescence to coat its attacker to make them more vulnerable to predators, while also working as a deterrent.
Fangtooth fish
The fangtooth fish has huge teeth (the largest of any sea creature in relation to its body) that sit in a huge, wide mouth and make it look truly terrifying. This strange creature grows to around 6 inches (15 centimeters) and feeds on much larger fish than itself thanks to its large jaw and teeth. The fangtooth fish has limited eyesight and finds its prey by detecting movement.
Ping-pong tree sponge
Last but certainly not least on our list of strangest creatures in the Mariana Trench, we have the ping-pong tree sponge. It’s an alien-looking carnivorous sponge that has hook-covered spheres to catch prey. Small crustaceans get stuck to the ping-pong shaped balls and then absorbed and slowly eaten alive. It’s definitely something of nightmares!
Mariana Trench: Frequently Asked Questions
The Mariana Trench is mysterious in many ways due to its incredible depths, and there is still a mystery around what exactly lives down there. Scientists have discovered many weird and wonderful creatures in the depths, but there could still be much more undiscovered. In 2016, a strange, metallic sound was heard by scientists studying the trench. It was a mystery to them as to what created this noise. The (still unproven) theory is now that it was made by a new type of baleen whale.
Only 28 people have explored the Mariana Trench to date; five of whom have been to the very bottom. Most explored the trench from inside the DSV Limiting Factor submersible.
The bottom of the trench sits at 36,037 feet / 10,984 meters and has 1,086 bars / 17,750 psi of pressure. This is more than one thousand times the pressure at sea level. Sea cucumbers, amoebas, and shrimp-like creatures live at the very bottom of the Mariana Trench.
Conclusion
The Mariana Trench certainly contains some weird and wonderful marine creatures, many of which we are still discovering and observing. Which is your favorite strange creature?
