The Chambered Nautilus is considered by many scientists to be a living fossil. Why? The Chambered Nautilus, also known as Nautilus Pompilius by its scientific name, is the largest and most common of about six species known to exist. It has remained unchanged for over 400 million years. The nautilus is a mollusk and a member of the cephalopod family and lives in deep waters.
After any major tsunami, hundreds of fish and deep sea creatures surface the shores. Here is a little collection of some of the weird and strange creatures that have washed ashore after a tsunami.
It always baffles me when sea creatures wash ashore and no one seems to be able to know what in the world it is! Well same thing happend here, when this strange looking fish was found on the shores of the Cayman Brac a few years back, and no one could identify it.
The weird fish is roughly thirty inches long, more than half of which is a long, eel-like tail attached to a fish body. It has pale pink scales, pectoral fins, a dorsal fin and a small feathery fin on its belly. Can you identify this fish?
Although this picture was taken in 2004, scientists have just now released the shocking picture of the weird fish with the transparent head. This Pacific barrel eye fish shows off its highly sensitive, barrel-like eyes topped by green, orb like lenses.
The fish, discovered alive in the deep water off California’s central coast by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI), is the first specimen of its kind to be found with its soft transparent dome intact.
The 6-inch (15-centimeter) barreleye (Macropinna microstoma) had been known since 1939–but only from mangled specimens dragged to the surface by nets.
I never really wondered if fish had ears or not, but in a recent discovery scientists found fish in the deep end of the waters that evolved ears like no others. Examining several fish species collected from waters as deep as 1.6 miles (2.5 kilometers), researchers discovered ear structures never seen before in other fish.The strange structures may enhance the animals’ hearing, researchers speculate.
The inner ear (pictured) of a blue antimora (inset) is exceptionally rigid—a feature never before seen in a deep-sea fish, according to a study to be presented in May 2009.
A new frog species was discovered during an expedition to Papua New Guinea last year, which was just one of the 50 new species found during the expedition. A “large and spectacular”—and possibly new—tree frog species of the Nyctimystes genus squatted near a clear mountain river, giving photographers a spectacular shot of the neon green frog.
Fisherman and scientists have officially found the largest freshwater stingray in the world to date. The humongous freshwater fish weighs an estimated 550 to 990 pounds and was caught by the National Geographic team in Thailand on Januray 28, 2009.
The scorpionfish is characterized by its bizzare appearance and the numerous spines that covers its body. Similar to the lionfish, these spines contain venom strong enough to cause very painful wounds and serious allergic reactions to those who come in contact with it. The unusual appearance of the mushroom scorpionfish helps to conceal its loction as they wait and ambush for prey.
This octopus is called the Big Red and it is very peculiar looking. This oddball was found about 1500m deep in the ocean and was capture beautifully.
Here is the Big Red in all of its glory. Absolutely Stunning!
I came upon this picture of an interesting sea horse but I have no idea what it’s called or where it can be found. Either way, it is absolutely amazing that something like this even exists on our planet!
