Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Real Life Monsters that Lurk in the Depth of Oceans

Millions of people throng to the sandy beaches to tan in the golden rays of the sun, listen to the waves crashing on to the shore and feel the wind gently blow across the bay, never for a minute giving a thought to the monsters that lurk beneath the deep blue horizon. These strange creatures can evoke your worst nightmares and seem like monster props right out of a horror flick. Most of these fiendish ogres can slay you with a milligram of their potent neurotoxic poison, cut clean through you with their razor-sharp snouts or squeeze you to to death with their over-reaching tentacles. The realm of the sea at its monstrous best.

These sperm whales had washed ashore when they wondered off too close to the shallow waters and died due to nitrogen decompression in their veins, a disease known to be prevalent in deep-living sperm whales. 

This female AnglerFish is easily one of the ugliest creatures in the world with a disproportionately large head, hairy body scales and numerous prickly teeth that adds to the ghastly specter that is the angler fish. The male on other hand are puny in comparison that ultimately end up being an after-mating juice-box for this alpha female.
If ugly anglers aren't your cup of tea, try the stone fish for a change. Oh, wait a minute, you can't, unless you've made up your mind to die with a heart attack. This creature is the master of disguise and currently holds the title of being one of the most venomous sea creature in the world. Its got 13 (talk about bad omen!) venomous spines on its back which release poison when pressed and can even pierce through your leather shoes. Its usually found in northern regions of Australia and the Indo-Pacific  ocean.

These decapods aren't really guilty of anything, except for its domineering size and scissor-like chelipeds. These things can grow up to 1.5 meters in size and weigh upto 12 kgs. Apparently these poor things are a delicacy in Omaha and sell at $59 for a crab steak!
This prehistoric monster is a slap to the faces marine-palaeontologists who thought it to be extinct for the last 65 million years. Dubbed the 'Dino fish', its rediscovery splashed headlines all over the world in 1938 for being the only living artifact that has seen the Jurassic age.
Don't be fooled by its tiny size, its got the will and the stuff to rip you to bones. This particular cannibal lurks in the oceans at depths greater than 5 kms and has diamond-sharp teeth to cut through steel thread.
This treacherous creature is known for its vengeful predatory tactics and is armed to the teeth, literally. More of a distant cousin to the piranha, it 'affectionately' called, 'La Sabina'
This snake like monster is the Oarfish, a greatly elongated Lampriform that currently hold the world record for being the longest bony fish alive. This creature is the oldest source of sea-serpent stories and can grow up to a length of 10 meters.
Don't push your luck around this slimy-Joe, it kills for less. The dark blue patterns on this blue-ringed-octopus is a stern warning to stay clear of its personal space. This monster is highly venomous and doesn't have any known anti-dote.
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Monsters Exposed