Known for his ability to pull up all sort of interesting sea creatures, Russian fisherman Roman Fedortsov's well followed Instagram and Twitter accounts are littered with images of the critters he hauls up in his work as a trawlerman in Murmansk, Russia. We've featured his deep sea creatures before, and now we're back for a look at what sort of fish he's snagged over the past year.
Here's a warning, these deep sea fish as likely to haunt you, as they look ready-made for a horror film. Accounting for just 2% of known marine species, these fish typically live at depths of more than 3200 feet (1000 meters) below the sea, in a hostile area where light doesn't penetrate. This has made for some scary looking adaptations in order to survive.
For instance, due to the lack of light, many fish are blind, but others have developed extremely large eyes that are sensitive to light given off by living organisms, also known as bioluminescent light. In fact, many deep sea creatures are capable of bioluminescence, which makes sense if you're living in the dark. Another distinct feature? Large—extremelly large—teeth. As these fish mainly rely on food dropping from higher sea levels, including larger dead fish, large hinged jaws and big, sharp teeth help ensure they snag a meal when it arrives. Another technique is to use their bioluminescence to cause a distraction and attract prey, then using their large jaws to snap and snare whatever comes their way, as with a scarce food supply, these fish can't afford to miss their prey.
As you can imagine, even though some species demonstrate deep sea characteristics beyond 650 feet (200 meters) of depth, getting at these creatures isn't exactly easy and there's still much that marine biologists do not know about these elusive fish. That's what makes Fedortsov's feed so interesting. It reminds us of how much we still need to explore and that there is a whole other world deep in the sea that is still a mystery.
Russian fisherman Roman Fedortstov catches creepy deep sea creatures that he shares with the world.
Deep sea fish are known for their large eyes and teeth to help them see and snare prey.
But more than just fish that live in the sea. Fedortstov also hauls up other deep sea critters.
And they aren't all scary, some of these creatures are quite cute.
Roman Fedortsov: Instagram | Twitter
h/t: [IFLScience!]
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