THE CRINOID - BELIZE
The Crinoid is an ancient creature that stems from the echinoderm family and is a relative of the starfish. This peculiar looking creature appear very plant-like and resembles an aquatic fern. The Crinoid coils its legs very gracefully, as seen in the picture above, and uses its legs to trap small plankton and other debris.
CHIMAERA FISH
This unusual looking fish is called the chimaera. It is a cartilaginous fish, which mean it is composed entirely of cartilage! It uses its long snout to scan the electrical impulses of its prey on the bottom of the sea floor.
A new frog species was found in Indonesia recently and has researchers baffled at the fact that the frog does not have any lungs whatsoever. This rare species of frog actually breathes through its skin. Researches are now able to understand more about animal genetics and structure.
The Monster
This 50-foot dinosaur was excavated last summer on Norway’s Arctic island. The Monster likely represents the biggest species of pliosaur known to science, said Jørn Hurum, of the Natural History Museum in Oslo, Norway, who led the dig team—and who called the reptile “the T. rex of the ocean.”
Pilosaurs were the top marine predators, but unfortunately, not many fossils were found up until now.
Named the “the Monster,” this newly identified fossil predator is one of the largest marine reptiles ever found.
The Hexapus
Caretakers at a British aquarium recently discovered that one of its newest residents, an octopus named Henry, had six legs instead of the usual eight. Apparently the caretakers have researched everywhere to see if there really is such thing, but so far, the only documented six-legged octopus is this one! Therefore, they dubbed him hexapus instead of octopus! The creature doesn’t seem to be of a new species, or been through an accident of any sort, therefore this was caused by some sort of genetic mutation.
Water Tunicates
Believe it or not, these things that look like glass tulips are actually animals. Found in the murky waters of Antarctica, these curious animals are called tunicates.
The plankton-eating tunicates grow up to 3.2 feet (1 meter) long, and filter food by pumping it through an internal mesh structure. The stalk is supported by pressure created by their pump, according to the scientists.
Incredible Fish!
This incredible fish was found in the Alaskan waters and is believed to be one of the oldest fish ever found in the waters. Commercial fishers in the Bering Sea hauled in the female shortraker rockfish seen above, which scientists say was between 90 and 115 years old, in March 2007.
A Seattle, Washington-based ship caught the 44-inch-long (112-centimeter-long), 60-pound (27-kilogram) fish while trawling for pollock at about 2,100 feet (640 meters) below the surface. The massive mama was among ten shortrakers pulled from the depths along with roughly 75 tons of the smaller commercially fished species.
The fish’s age and size both approach the maximum known limits for shortrakers. The largest on record measured 47 inches (119 centimeters) long, and the oldest ever caught was 157 years.
A Cute Amphibian
The Mexican axolotl salamander is a distinct amphibian since it retains its larval features all through adulthood. This condition is called neoteny, which means it keeps its tadpole-like dorsal fin that runs almost the length of its body, and its feathery external gills, which protrude from the back of its wide head.
This rare species is found exclusively in the lake complex of Xochimilco, near Mexico city. The axolotl differs from other amphibians since it spends its entire life in the water, mostly at the bottom of the lake. On rare occasions, an axolotl will come out of the water once it has matured.
Since the Mexican axolotl is a close relative of the tiger salamander, it can get quite big, reaching up to a foot in length. Most of these species are black or mottled brown, but albino and white varieties aren’t uncommon in captive environments.
National Geographic compiled a video “Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure”which follows a dolichorhynchops as she travels through the most dangerous oceans in history. And yes, there are fossils to prove the existence of this dolichorhynchops! Crazy, huh?
This video from National Geographic shows the different species that have graced the Earth millions and millions of years ago with only fossils to prove their existence.
