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10 unusually beautiful sea creatures

6 min read

Inspiring People
10 unusually beautiful sea creatures
Source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

We picked out ten eye-catching creatures from the deep to remind us of the amazing diversity and awe-inspiring beauty of our natural world.

10 bright and colourful sea creatures

Some sea creatures are so strange-looking, it’s hard to believe we’re from the same planet! Colouration in the animal kingdom plays wide variety of roles, to attract opposite sex, to warn enemies and to camouflage. As with terrestrial animals, such a wide spectrum of colouration is present in aquatic animals. Check out our pick of 10 incredibly colourful and unusual-looking sea creatures. In no particular order.

Spirobranchus giganteus, also known as the Christmas tree worm. Each worm has two brightly coloured crowns that protrude from its tube-like body. These Christmas tree-like crowns are composed of radioles, or hair-like appendages radiating from the worm’s central spine. These appendages are used for respiration and to catch dinner, which typically consists of microscopic plants, or phytoplankton, floating in the water. Christmas tree worms come in a variety of bright colors. They aren’t very big, averaging about 3.8 centimeters in length. However, because of their distinctive shape, beauty, and color, these worms are easily spotted. They are some of the most widely recognised polychaetes, or marine burrowing, segmented worms out there.

1. Christmas tree worm Spirobranchus giganteus, also known as the Christmas tree worm. Each worm has two brightly coloured crowns that protrude from its tube-like body. These Christmas tree-like crowns are composed of radioles, or hair-like appendages radiating from the worm’s central spine. These appendages are used for respiration and to catch dinner, which typically consists of microscopic plants, or phytoplankton, floating in the water. Christmas tree worms come in a variety of bright colors. They aren’t very big, averaging about 3.8 centimeters in length. However, because of their distinctive shape, beauty, and color, these worms are easily spotted. They are some of the most widely recognised polychaetes, or marine burrowing, segmented worms out there. Source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Despite being discovered in the 1880s, the enypniastes eximia was not caught on camera until 2017. This genus of deep-sea sea cucumber is unkindly called a
2. Enypniastes Eximia Despite being discovered in the 1880s, the enypniastes eximia was not caught on camera until 2017. This genus of deep-sea sea cucumber is unkindly called a “headless chicken monster” by scientists, and it has neither a true brain nor sensory organs. Still, it plays a valuable role in filtering sediment off the ocean floor. The colours of the enypniastes eximia vary from bright pink to reddish-brown. Notably, it is also transparent, which allows its digestive system to be visible. Source: NOAA Okeanos Explorer / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain
The flying gurnard is most notable for its eye-catching
3. Flying Gurnard The flying gurnard is most notable for its eye-catching “wingspan.” Gurnards usually keep their huge pectoral fins held close against their body, but they flare out spectacularly when a predator is near. The transparency of the fins combined with the blue spots that adorn them make this creature especially beautiful underwater. While their name suggests that they fly through the water, flying gurnards are bottom dwellers. Their large fins do little to help them swim — they don’t soar so much as move in short bursts. The name gurnard is derived from the French word for “grunt,” which is the sound made by their swim bladder as water moves through it. Source: Beckmannjan / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0
Sea anemones derived their name from equally colorful terrestrial anemone flower. There are more than thousand described species of sea anemones lives in throughout world ocean. They spend most of their time attached to seas floor by their adhesive legs. The color of sea anemones ranges from pale to bright fluorescent colors. Sea anemones have a cylindrical shaped body, tens to hundreds of poison filled tentacles surrounding central mouth. They used these tentacles to find their food, inject paralysing neurotoxin.
4. Sea Anemones Sea anemones derived their name from equally colorful terrestrial anemone flower. There are more than thousand described species of sea anemones lives in throughout world ocean. They spend most of their time attached to seas floor by their adhesive legs. The color of sea anemones ranges from pale to bright fluorescent colors. Sea anemones have a cylindrical shaped body, tens to hundreds of poison filled tentacles surrounding central mouth. They used these tentacles to find their food, inject paralysing neurotoxin. Source: TheMysteriousWorld.com
These bizarre-looking marine animals generally like shallow water, but they have been found on ocean floors up to 9 km below the surface. The arms, which have feathery fringes and can be used for swimming, usually number five. Feather stars use their grasping “legs” (called cirri) to perch on sponges, corals, or other substrata and feed on drifting microorganisms, trapping them in the sticky arm grooves.
5. Feather Star These bizarre-looking marine animals generally like shallow water, but they have been found on ocean floors up to 9 km below the surface. The arms, which have feathery fringes and can be used for swimming, usually number five. Feather stars use their grasping “legs” (called cirri) to perch on sponges, corals, or other substrata and feed on drifting microorganisms, trapping them in the sticky arm grooves. Source: EarthRangers.com
The glaucus atlanticus, aka. the “blue dragon” is a species of brightly colored sea slug (nudibranch), and can be found throughout the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans in temperate and tropical waters. Like most nudibranchs, this species incorporates toxic chemicals or stinging cells from its prey into its own skin. This ability provides the blue glaucus with a defense mechanism against predation.
6. Glaucus Atlanticus The glaucus atlanticus, aka. the “blue dragon” is a species of brightly colored sea slug (nudibranch), and can be found throughout the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans in temperate and tropical waters. Like most nudibranchs, this species incorporates toxic chemicals or stinging cells from its prey into its own skin. This ability provides the blue glaucus with a defense mechanism against predation. Source: Oceana.org
Though they may look like strands of seaweed, the leafy seadragon is a fish related to the seahorse. Known as
7. Leafy Seadragon Though they may look like strands of seaweed, the leafy seadragon is a fish related to the seahorse. Known as “leafies,” these creatures are masters of camouflage, living among kelp and seaweed in the waters off south and east Australia.
The flowing protrusions may look like functioning appendages, but the leafy seadragon uses thin, nearly transparent fins to propel itself through the water. Most impressively, this beautiful sea creature has the ability to change colour to match its surroundings for better camouflage. Source: James Rosindell / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0
You probably know of nudibranchs by their informal name: sea slugs. These soft-bodied marine mollusks include more than 3,000 species and live in seas all over the world. Nudibranchs can be a variety of bright, beautiful colors and patterns. This is a defense mechanism because of their lack of shell. They resemble the plants around them to camouflage themselves from predators. Additionally, bright colors scare away potential dangers as they generally signal that a creature is poisonous (even if it isn't).
8. Nudibranch You probably know of nudibranchs by their informal name: sea slugs. These soft-bodied marine mollusks include more than 3,000 species and live in seas all over the world. Nudibranchs can be a variety of bright, beautiful colors and patterns. This is a defense mechanism because of their lack of shell. They resemble the plants around them to camouflage themselves from predators. Additionally, bright colors scare away potential dangers as they generally signal that a creature is poisonous (even if it isn’t). Source: Chriswan Sungkono / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0
Neither a shrimp nor a mantis (nor a peacock, for that matter), this stomatopod is only four inches long. With a long, colourful body and big, bright eyes, the mantis shrimp surely turns heads. However, this sea creature is more dangerous than it lets on. It uses its tiny but powerful clubs to break the shells of its prey with punches with the force of a .22 caliber bullet. In fact, when being studied, scientists must keep mantis shrimp in thick plastic tanks because their powerful punches can actually break glass.
9. Peacock Mantis Shrimp Neither a shrimp nor a mantis (nor a peacock, for that matter), this stomatopod is only four inches long. With a long, colourful body and big, bright eyes, the mantis shrimp surely turns heads. However, this sea creature is more dangerous than it lets on. It uses its tiny but powerful clubs to break the shells of its prey with punches with the force of a .22 caliber bullet. In fact, when being studied, scientists must keep mantis shrimp in thick plastic tanks because their powerful punches can actually break glass. Source: Jens Petersen / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0
The sarcastic fringehead (Neoclinus blanchardi) is a foot-long fish that lives off the Pacific coast of North America. When unthreatened, the fringehead's visage is fairly unremarkable. But if a marine predator (or stray human hand) attempts to dislodge a fringehead from its crevasse, the fish will race into action, brandishing its frightening Predator-like mouth at the interloper. — Granted, it’s not an “unusually beautiful” sea creature, but it is colourful and we thought the name was funny.
10. Sarcastic Fringehead The sarcastic fringehead (Neoclinus blanchardi) is a foot-long fish that lives off the Pacific coast of North America. When unthreatened, the fringehead’s visage is fairly unremarkable. But if a marine predator (or stray human hand) attempts to dislodge a fringehead from its crevasse, the fish will race into action, brandishing its frightening Predator-like mouth at the interloper. — Granted, it’s not an “unusually beautiful” sea creature, but it is colourful and we thought the name was funny. Source: Gizmodo
19 INCREDIBLY Colourful Sea Creatures (10 minutes) From Nemo, the clownfish, to the beautiful and elusive Blue Sea Slug, these are 19 INCREDIBLY Colourful Sea Creatures! Source: YouTube/EpicWildlife

This article was originally posted on Dec 19, 2020

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