Januari 12, 2017
15. your city may end up here one dayi’m sure the egyptians never imagined their city of heracleion would end up under waterin some distant future. despite the fact that we often build citieson picturesque coasts – as heracleion was built near the canopic mouth of the nile – notmany of us expect an entire civilization to end up buried by the ocean. the city’s ruins are now situated in theirwatery graveyard, 2.5 km off the coast, in abu qir bay, 30 feet below the water’s surface. the ancient city was legendary in its time,around the 12th century bc.
noted by greek historians, heracleion servedas egypt’s main port during the late period. tax collecting and international trade occurredhere, and it was even a brief safe harbor for the fleeing paris and helen of troy, whowere escaping menalaus, prior to the trojan war. the temple of khonsou (known as herakles tothe greeks) was a notable monument in the city, and it now lies underwater, as do manyof the city’s artifacts after it sank around the 3rd century ad. it is theorized that the silts on which thecity was built liquefied after experiencing some earth tremors.
imagine your future city, beneath the ocean. does it give you the chills? 14. the goblin shark gobbles up his preythis monster is a “living fossil.†some biologists call it that, because it’sthe only living representative of a 125-million-year-old family lineage. its other name, the goblin shark, doesn’tpaint a prettier picture. and it shouldn’t. this name is translated from its old japanesename, tenguzame.
tengus were mythical creatures in japan withred faces and long noses. this scary ocean-dweller generally runs between10 and 13 feet long, although much larger goblins of this species have been sighted. it has pink skin, short fins and a big flabbybody, a flat, elongated snout, and very protrusive jaws with jutting teeth like nails. you’ll often find them in seamounts aroundthe globe at 330-foot depths. juveniles usually swim higher than adult goblinsharks, however. the goblin is slower-moving by nature, butit still manages to swipe up some crustaceans, cephalopods, and teleost fish that resideon the ocean floor.
it does this through the ampullae of lorenzinion its elongated snout, which allows it to sense its preys’ electric fields and quicklynab them with its dramatically extending jaws. the long, flat snout looks like a sword blade,and the goblin’s small eyes are membrane-less, leaving a vacant look on its creepy face. though the jaws are often held against thehead’s underside, they can extend to nearly the end of the snout when feeding. with up to 62 lower teeth rows and 53 upperteeth rows, that doesn’t make for a pretty smile. why so many rows of teeth?
well, the rear teeth are small and flat, usedfor crushing, while the main rows are long and narrow, used to attack. and what are they eating with these hundredsof teeth? rattails and dragonfish, mainly, as well asother deep-dwelling teleosts. this species is also sluggish, with poorlydeveloped muscle blocks and reductive calcification in its skeleton. the shark’s fins, as well, are small andsoft, with a long caudal fin, angled low, which is indicative of slow swimming. at least if you swim into one of these creeposin the middle of the ocean, he’s not likely
to catch up with you when you tear away inhorror. 13. plastic will soon outnumber fishdame ellen macarthur – a sailor who has broken records, including sailing the kingfisherfrom plymouth, uk to newport, rhode island, usa in a little under 15 days – is now anadvocate for cleaning up ocean pollution. she knows, firsthand, the volume of humanwaste found in the sea…and the statistics aren’t pretty. the foundation named after macarthur reportedthat, “new plastics will consume 20% of all oil production within 35 years, up froman estimated 5% today.â€
the amount of plastic pollution in the oceanis twenty times as much as in 1964 – 311 metric tonnes in 2014, alone. in the next twenty years, that amount is expectedto double and, by 2050, double again. soon our oceans will be an ocean of plastic,and yet, we aren’t really doing anything about it. a mere 5% of plastics are recycled each year,while 40% arrive at landfills. and as for our oceans, they collect a thirdof this litter. the rest is burned, but more and more plasticis made every day, in order to satisfy our consumer products.
the imagery gets even scarier. according to the report: “at least 8 metrictonnes of plastics leak into the ocean – which is equivalent to dumping the contents of onegarbage truck into the ocean every minute. if no action is taken, this is expected toincrease to two per minute by 2030 and four per minute by 2050. “in a business-as-usual scenario, the oceanis expected to contain one tonne of plastic for every three tonnes of fish by 2025, andby 2050, more plastics than fish [by weight].†the plastic can serve a death sentence tosea turtles and seals, while most tiny bits float to the ocean’s bottom, the impactof which is unknown.
these issues remain unaddressed, as recyclingsystems aren’t efficient, and consumption of plastic are at an all-time high. it’s truly frightening to imagine our ocean’sfuture when a problem this serious is being ignored – not only ignored, but exacerbated. goodbye, oceans! 12. box jellyfish are death trapsunless you’ve been stung by a jellyfish, you might find the floaty glowing creaturequite hypnotizing, even beautiful. but the box jellyfish should not be revered;it should be feared.
certain species of box jellyfish release fatallypotent venom. one sting from this glowing creature is verypainful…and can even be deadly. the box jellyfish has a square boxy bell-likeshape, with short stalks hanging from each of its four corners, out of which reach long,thin, hollow tentacles. it “floats†via its shelf-like velarium,which helps to propel it using a strong jetstream, helping it reach speeds of up to six metersper minute. the nervous system of the box jellyfish ismore complex than most, with twenty “simple eyes,†called ocelli, which detect darknessand light, and four normal eyes, as well, that capture images.
the most dangerous species of box jellyfishlies in the indo-pacific region, and its venom is used to defend itself from predators – likecrabs, sea turtles, and various fish –, as well as to attack prey. but they don’t generally hunt man; rather,they hunt small fish. still, they have caused 64 deaths since thefirst reported death in 1883, with their venom resulting in cardiovascular collapse within2 to 5 minutes. just when you thought it was safe to go backin the water… 11. this barreleye spook fish lives therethe name “spook fish†says it all.
also known as the barreleye, this small deep-seafish storms the tropical waters of the indian, atlantic, and pacific oceans. the fish’s tubular telescopic eyes, directedupwards to spot its prey, are what give these demon fish their name. the eyes protrude from the head and are encapsulatedin a big transparent soft-tissue dome, so if the eyes are truly the windows to the soul,this fish’s soul is transparent. its bioluminescent organs, alongside theirreflective soles, may form a sort of counter illumination that serves as camouflage forthese spooky fish. it’s safe to say you wouldn’t want tomeet one of these buggers in the depths of
the ocean. 10. half-ton squid haunts the ocean floorsthinking about taking a swim with a giant squid? then head down under, where a fishing crewin new zealand has found a real-life half-ton squid that could be a record-setting catchat 990 pounds and 39 feet long. the crew were catching chilean sea bass, or“patagonian toothfish,†when they hooked the colossal squid, which had been eatingone of the toothfish on their net. the beast was caught in the waters of theantarctic, and it took them two hours to reel
him in. new zealand fisheries minister jim andertonsaid, “the squid was almost dead when it reached the surface, and the careful workof the crew was paramount in getting this specimen aboard in good condition. it is likely that it is the first intact adultmale colossal squid to ever be successfully landed.†it’s estimated that the beast is 330 poundsheavier than the previous record-setting squid. an auckland university of technology squidexpert, steve o'shea, said that calamari rings made from this squid would be the size oftractor tires.
the deep ocean colossal squid grows up to46 feet in length, has eyes as big as dinner plates, and is known to be an extremely activehunter. 9. the ocean boasts mountain ranges longer thanany above sea level the mid-ocean ridge is the longest mountainrange in the world…but you’ll likely never see 90% of it, as it lies beneath the ocean. the 40,389 mile mountain range is formed byplate tectonics, resulting in mountain chains with valleys, called rifts, running the lengthof its spine. as most science geeks know, the oceanic mountainrange results from seafloor spreading, which
is when new seafloor is created from the upwellingof mantle from plate spreading. the mantle eventually melts, rising as magmain the oceanic crust. it then produces as lava and cools, creatingnew crust. this is why mid-ocean ridges are geologicallyactive areas, routinely erupting, with thousands of individual volcanoes. fresh magma consistently flows onto the floorof the ocean and crystallizes to form new crust. in this way, the ocean floor is like a snakeshedding its skin – it’s in a constant state of renewal – despite the fact thatmost oceanic crust is around 200 million years
old. it’s scary what we think we know about theworld…when we really know nothing. 8. phytoplankton are on the declinethis may not seem scary to you, but phytoplankton are the self-feeding purveyors of the oceanand are key to the balancing act of its delicate ecosystem. phytoplankton likely appear insignificantdue to their teeny tiny size; most are too small to be seen with the naked eye. but if you’ve ever gone scuba-diving orsnorkeling, you may have noticed them without
even realizing what they were, because whenthey congregate in high volumes, they are often remarkable as color patches on the water’ssurface – a result of the chlorophyll and pigments of some species. in 2010, a study reported that the past centuryhas seen a substantial decline in this vital marine species – around a 40% decline since1950, to be exact. that’s a rate of around 1% per year. the cause may be global warming. as a key food item in the ocean, this declineis serious and scary business and may mean a substantial imbalance in the ocean’s ecosystem.
7. the world’s biggest mammal reigns herethe behemoth blue whale is a majestic creature that runs up to 98 feet in length and weighsin at a whopping 173 tonnes (191 short tons). the whale also boasts a unique u-shaped flathead, a blowhole at the top of the upper lip, flippers that are 10 to 13 feet long, anda small dorsal fin, around 11 inches in height. to breathe, the blue whale lifts its shoulderand blowhole from the water when surfacing. needless to say, this scary-big mammoth monsteris the largest mammal in existence. bluish-grey and lighter in its underbelly,the blue whale reaches this enormous size by eating only small crustaceans, called krill.
being that it only eats crustaceans, the bluewhale doesn’t seem so frightening to us humans. we ain’t no krill. but imagine being stranded in the ocean, whensuddenly its great big shadow casts below you…at least when you pee your pants, onlythe ocean will know. but don’t worry; only rarely will you runinto a blue whale, nowadays. the twentieth century saw a downturn in theocean’s blue whale population, because whalers hunted them to near extinction. in 1966, the international community protectedthem and, in 2002, there were only an estimated
5,000 to 12,000 blue whales left in the world’soceans. today, that number has doubled to an estimated10,000 to 25,000. still, the number is significantly lower thanthe pre-whaling population, which was at an estimate of 202,000 to 311,000. whalers – greedy much? they are greedy for the blue whale’s longtapered body, which they used to eat, light lamps and make tools and other handy items. they’re teeming with viruses and bacteriahave you ever thought of the world’s wet underbelly having health issues?
well, it can, and it does, because virusesand bacteria thrive in oceans. most of them, however, are not dangerous;rather, they sustain it. others, not so much. human and animal health are threatened bycertain of these bacteria and viruses. they become particularly threatening to humansin coastal regions and, as per usual, we humans are the problem. since the dawn of time, we’ve been usingthe ocean as a natural diluter to rid of our disposable waste and noxious materials. runoff of sewage into the ocean waters producesan excess of viral and bacterial microorganisms,
leaving the contaminated water a source ofdisease. in fact, viruses and bacteria causing hepatitisa and e, cholera, and even polio, can be found in coastal waters. marine life develops infections just as easilyas humans do, which can result in beached dolphins or whales, due to decreased waterquality. the worst thing about this scary fact is thatwater flow and ocean currents can transport the microbes great lengths. nothing as scary as a traveling virus thatcan survive days or weeks on the sea. 6.
the anglerfish is angling to lure youthese bony fish are as predatory as they are creepy. in fact, they’re named for their predatorynature, and the lure that’s literally attached in a fleshy growth on their heads. these creepsters angle around the continentalshelf and the deep sea. they come in shades of dark brown and greyand sport faces as ugly as sin, with ginormous heads with huge crescent-shaped mouths tomatch. their mouths are filled with fang-like teethwhich curve in, enabling the angler to snatch its prey quickly.
this little fishy can weigh in at up to awhopping 100 pounds and can grow to be over three feet wide. the female anglerfish are the real evil ones. fitted with the “fishing rod,†a luminescentluring organ that draws its prey to it in the darkness of the deep sea, the female anglerfishalso lures men to mate with it. the luminosity of the lure is due to symbioticbacteria that live here. even sicker, the wide mouth of the anglerfishextends nearly all the way around the head’s circumference, allowing the fish to distendits jaw and its stomach, when it takes in prey up to nearly twice its size.
freaky! 5. this deep sea monster lives down underif you’ve ever wondered if the kraken is real, wonder no more. prior to a recent discovery, a colossal, jagged-toothed,air-breathing monster, called the ichthyosaur, which lived in the world’s prehistoric oceans,was thought to rule the seas…until evidence of a giant kraken was discovered. the mythological creature was once a thingof fisherman folklore – an octopus half the size of the enormous blue whale – onewhich could chew up and spit out the ichthyosaur
like a piece of gum. this kraken is only a theory, however, basedon nine 45-foot ichthyosaur remains, stacked in an unexplainable manner. the ichthyosaurs were thought to have diedin a plankton bloom, but to have done so, they would’ve had to live in shallow water. the topography of the region where they werefound suggests that they resided in deep water. it seems they did not die all at once, either,and that their bones had been rearranged on purpose. this latter characteristic led to the hypothesisthat the ichthyosaurs were killed by an octopus-type
creature, as octopi stack and rearrange theremains of bones in their dens like so. octopi are also known killers, as one wasvideoed killing a shark. thus, the theory of a giant prehistoric krakenemerged. as mount holyoke college paleontologist markmcmenamin said in a statement, “we think that this cephalopod in the triassic was doingthe same thing. it was either drowning them or breaking theirnecks.†thank god these things aren’t around anymore…orare they? 4. most of the sea is in darknesswe’ll never know what, exactly, is lurking
in the ocean. over 95% of the earth’s living area is amystery, because most of it lies deep beneath the surface of the ocean. and it’s largely unexplored, due to thefact that light starts fading fast at around 50 feet. in fact, it only penetrates 330 feet, leavingthe rest in darkness. even more detrimental to human exploration,the deeper you go, the more pressure rises and temperature drops. if you live to reach 13,000 feet, you won’tsee a glimmer of sunlight, and the temperature
will be near freezing. below deck is the unknown that we mentionedbefore. creatures live here, but we may never meetthem. but could we? as technological advances are made, scientistsare able to explore these oceanic depths, more and more, depths which average around12,400 feet deep. 3. the northern stargazer gazes herethe northern stargazer is a grumpy gus. run into him in the depths of the ocean – upto 120 feet – near the shores between new
york and north carolina, and you’ll meetface-to-face with his flat forehead and up to 22 inches of his body. his slimy black brown white-spotted body. the scientific name for the stargazer is astroscopusguttatus. astroscopus translates to “one who aimsat the stars†and guttatus to “speckled.†these both reference the demon fish’s generalappearance. and this appearance is what makes him so scary. most of the fish’s body mass lies near thefront-end of its mouth – a mouth which faces up, in order for the speckled fish to deceivehis prey as it lays in wait near the ocean’s
sandy bottom. in fact, it buries itself in that sand tofurther camouflage itself from its prey, which are usually just smaller fish. its creepy little eyes peer up through thesand to spot these unlucky fishies, as they’re located on top of the stargazer’s head (hence,the name). three black horizontal stripes also spreadacross its white tail, while the orbitae of the fish’s top side hold electric organsthat can produce and electric shock. the fish also lays tiny transparent eggs atthe bay’s bottom, which float to the ocean’s surface upon release and hatch into larvaethere.
after growing from around .25 inches to .5inches, they develop their dark shade and their electrical organs, after which theyswim to the ocean’s bottom, where they dwell the rest of their godforsaken lives. 2. the frilled shark and its primitive frillsscared of sharks? check out this frilly one, aptly named thefrilled shark. located in the atlantic and pacific oceansover the upper continental slope and outer continental shelf, the frilled shark mostcommonly swims at around 160-660 feet but has been caught significantly deeper at 5,150ft.
the primitive features of the shark lend itselfto the term “living fossil,†with its eelish body, dark brown tint, and pelvic,dorsal, and anal fins situated further back. the “frill†part of the equation appearsin its six gill slits, beginning across its throat, giving it a frilled appearance. the lurching shark catches prey by springingforward like a snake. its jaws are long and flexible, allowing thebeast to swallow its prey entirely. its small needle teeth make it hard for itsprey to escape, so unfortunately, the soft-bodied squid that it goes for stand no chance. they’re done for.
1. the ocean is full of the unknown if you’re frightened of the unknown, thendon’t enter the ocean. two-thirds of its marine life is said to remainin the dark – largely because it is in the dark, darkness that’s darker than the humaneye can see. while most of this two-thirds isn’t anythingof huge significance – i mean, there probably isn’t some enormous sea monster or greatwhite whale looming below – there are certainly mollusks, crustaceans, and other tiny organismswhich help maintain the delicate balance of
the ocean’s ecosystem and don’t get anycredit for doing so. with between 700,000 and a million speciesroaming the oceans, it’s no wonder that all have not been discovered, named, or described. but that’s not without trying. around 2,000 new marine species are beingidentified and described each year. the effort in discovering each and every marinecreature is an attempt to conserve those species that may be suffering, due to pollution or other means of depopulation. biodiversity is being lost at a rate upwardsof 1,000 times than it should. knowing the species is vital in any attemptto save them.
“you can only love something if you knowit,†marine biologist, ward appeltans, said at the intergovernmental oceanographic commissionof unesco. “we will not save the world with this result,but we may start understanding it better.â€
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