What is the name of the green fish in the ocean. Amazing and interesting fish of the oceans and seas

The sea is the least studied area of ​​our planet. And even on the surface, where man has seemingly settled everywhere and studied a lot, there are still quite a few blank spots. Well, the depths of the ocean still remain a completely unknown world. But still, people try to look into the depths of the sea, where they find a lot of interesting things. For example, fish, among them there are also many bizarre and unstudied forms. Let's look at the most bizarre fish.

1. Ambon Scorpionfish (Latin: Pteroidichthys amboinensis).

Opened in 1856. Easily identified by its huge “eyebrows” - specific growths above the eyes. Able to change color and shed. Conducts a “guerrilla” hunt - camouflaging at the bottom and waiting for the victim. It is not uncommon and has been quite well studied, but its extravagant appearance simply cannot be ignored! (Roger Steene/Conservation International)

2. Psychedelic frogfish (English: Psychedelic Frogfish, Latin: Histiophryne psychedelica).

Opened in 2009. A very unusual fish - the tail fin is curved to the side, the pectoral fins are modified and look like the paws of land animals. The head is large, the widely spaced eyes are directed forward, like in vertebrates, due to which the fish has a peculiar “facial expression”. The color of the fish is yellow or reddish with sinuous white-blue stripes diverging in different directions from the blue eyes. Unlike other fish that swim, this species moves as if jumping, pushing off the bottom with its pectoral fins and pushing water out of the gill slits, creating jet thrust. The tail of the fish is curved to the side and cannot directly direct the movement of the body, so it oscillates from side to side. The fish can also crawl along the bottom using its pectoral fins, moving them like legs. (David Hall/EOL Rapid Response Team)

3. Rag picker (English: Leafy Seadragon, Latin: Phycodurus eques).

Opened in 1865. Representatives of this type of fish are notable for the fact that their entire body and head are covered with processes that imitate algae thalli. Although these processes are similar to fins, they do not take part in swimming and serve for camouflage (both when hunting shrimp and for protection from enemies). Lives in the waters Indian Ocean, washing southern, south-eastern and south-western Australia, as well as northern and eastern Tasmania. It feeds on plankton, small shrimp, and algae. Having no teeth, the rag picker swallows its food whole. (lecates/Flickr)

4. Moonfish (English: Ocean Sunfish, Latin: Mola mola).

Opened in 1758. The laterally compressed body is extremely high and short, which gives the fish an extremely strange appearance: it resembles a disk in shape. The tail is very short, wide and truncated; the dorsal, caudal and anal fins are interconnected. The skin of the moonfish is thick and elastic, covered with small bony tubercles. The sunfish can often be seen lying on its side on the surface of the water. The adult sunfish is a very poor swimmer, unable to overcome strong currents. It feeds on plankton, as well as squid, eel larvae, salps, ctenophores and jellyfish. It can reach gigantic sizes of several tens of meters and weigh 1.5 tons. (Franco Banfi)

5. Broadnose chimaera (lat. Rhinochimaera atlantica).

Opened in 1909. Absolutely disgusting looking jelly fish. It lives on the deep bottom of the Atlantic Ocean and feeds on mollusks. Extremely poorly studied. (Jay Burnett, NOAA/NMFS/NEFSC)

6. Frilled Shark (Latin: Chlamydoselachus anguineus).

Opened in 1884. These sharks look much more like a strange sea snake or eel than their closest relatives. In the frilled shark, the gill openings, of which there are six on each side, are covered with skin folds. In this case, the membranes of the first gill slit cross the throat of the fish and are connected to each other, forming a wide skin blade. Along with the goblin shark, it is one of the rarest sharks on the planet. No more than a hundred specimens of these fish are known. They have been studied extremely poorly. (Awashima Marine Park/Getty Images)

7. Indonesian coelacanth (English: Indonesian Coelacanth, Latin: Latimeria menadoensis).

Opened in 1999. A living fossil and probably the oldest fish on Earth. Before the discovery of the first representative of the coelant order, which includes the coelacanth, it was considered completely extinct. The divergence time of the two modern species of coelacanth is 30-40 million years. No more than a dozen were caught alive. (Pearson - Benjamin Cummings)

8. Hairy Angler (lat. Caulophryne polynema).

Opened in 1930. Very strange and scary fish that live on the deep bottom, where there is no sunlight - from 1 km and deeper. To lure the inhabitants depths of the sea uses a special luminous growth on the forehead, characteristic of the entire order of anglerfish. Thanks to its special metabolism and extremely sharp teeth, it can eat anything it comes across, even if the prey is many times larger and is also a predator. It reproduces no less strangely than it looks and feeds - due to the unusually harsh conditions and rarity of fish, the male (ten times smaller than the female) attaches to the flesh of his chosen one and transmits everything necessary through the blood. (BBC)

9. Blobfish (Latin: Psychrolutes marcidus).

Opened in 1926. Often mistaken for a joke. In fact, this is a completely real species of deep-sea bottom-dwelling marine fish of the psycholute family, which on the surface takes on a “jelly” appearance with a “sad expression.” It has been poorly studied, but this is enough to recognize it as one of the most bizarre. The photo shows a copy of the Australian Museum. (Kerryn Parkinson/Australian Museum)

10. Smallmouth macropinna (English, Lat. Macropinna microstoma) - winner for quirkiness.

Opened in 1939. It lives at very great depths, so it has been poorly studied. In particular, the principle of fish vision was not entirely clear. It was believed that she must experience very great difficulties due to the fact that she can only see up. Only in 2009 was the structure of the eye of this fish fully studied. Apparently, when trying to study it earlier, the fish simply could not tolerate the change in pressure. The most notable feature of this species is the transparent, dome-shaped shell that covers the top and sides of its head, and the large, usually upward-pointing, cylindrical eyes that lie underneath this shell. A dense and elastic covering shell is attached to the scales of the back at the back, and on the sides to the wide and transparent periocular bones, which provide protection for the organs of vision. This covering structure is usually lost (or at least very badly damaged) when fish are brought to the surface in trawls and nets, so its existence was not known until recently. Under the covering shell there is a chamber filled with a transparent liquid, in which, in fact, the eyes of the fish are located; The eyes of living fish are bright green and separated by a thin bony septum, which, extending backwards, expands to accommodate the brain. In front of each eye, but behind the mouth, is a large rounded pouch that contains an olfactory receptor rosette. That is, what at first glance appears to be eyes in photographs of live fish is actually an olfactory organ. The green color is caused by the presence of a specific yellow pigment in them. It is believed that this pigment provides special filtering of light coming from above and reduces its brightness, allowing the fish to discern the bioluminescence of potential prey. (Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute)

Active learning underwater world began relatively recently - in the middle of the last century. To do this, it was necessary to come up with sonars, scuba tanks, bathyscaphes, orbital satellites... How many surprises turned out to be in the depths of the sea! The diversity of life forms is simply stunning. Meet the ten most charming, strange, creepy and rare fish that humanity has discovered.

Ambon Scorpionfish (lat. Pteroidichthys amboinensis)


Opened in 1856. Easily identified by its huge “eyebrows” - specific growths above the eyes. Able to change color and shed. Conducts a “guerrilla” hunt - camouflaging at the bottom and waiting for the victim. It is not uncommon and has been quite well studied, but its extravagant appearance simply cannot be ignored!

Psychedelic Frogfish (lat. Histiophryne psychedelica)


Opened in 2009. A very unusual fish - the tail fin is curved to the side, the pectoral fins are modified and look like the paws of land animals. The head is large, the widely spaced eyes are directed forward, like in vertebrates, due to which the fish has a peculiar “facial expression”. The color of the fish is yellow or reddish with sinuous white-blue stripes diverging in different directions from the blue eyes. Unlike other fish that swim, this species moves as if jumping, pushing off the bottom with its pectoral fins and pushing water out of the gill slits, creating jet thrust. The tail of the fish is curved to the side and cannot directly direct the movement of the body, so it oscillates from side to side. The fish can also crawl along the bottom using its pectoral fins, moving them like legs.

Rag picker (English: Leafy Seadragon, Latin: Phycodurus eques)


Opened in 1865. Representatives of this type of fish are notable for the fact that their entire body and head are covered with processes that imitate algae thalli. Although these processes are similar to fins, they do not take part in swimming and serve for camouflage (both when hunting shrimp and for protection from enemies). It lives in the waters of the Indian Ocean, washing southern, south-eastern and south-western Australia, as well as northern and eastern Tasmania. It feeds on plankton, small shrimp, and algae. Having no teeth, the rag picker swallows its food whole.

Moonfish (English: Ocean Sunfish, Latin: Mola mola)


Opened in 1758. The laterally compressed body is extremely high and short, which gives the fish an extremely strange appearance: it resembles a disk in shape. The tail is very short, wide and truncated; the dorsal, caudal and anal fins are interconnected. The skin of the moonfish is thick and elastic, covered with small bony tubercles. The sunfish can often be seen lying on its side on the surface of the water. The adult sunfish is a very poor swimmer, unable to overcome strong currents. It feeds on plankton, as well as squid, eel larvae, salps, ctenophores and jellyfish. It can reach gigantic sizes of several meters and weigh 1.5 tons.

Broadnose chimaera (lat. Rhinochimaera atlantica)


Opened in 1909. Absolutely disgusting looking jelly fish. It lives on the deep bottom of the Atlantic Ocean and feeds on mollusks. Extremely poorly studied.

Frilled Shark (lat. Chlamydoselachus anguineus)


Opened in 1884. These sharks look much more like a strange sea snake or eel than their closest relatives. In the frilled shark, the gill openings, of which there are six on each side, are covered with skin folds. In this case, the membranes of the first gill slit cross the throat of the fish and are connected to each other, forming a wide skin blade. Along with the goblin shark, it is one of the rarest sharks on the planet. No more than a hundred specimens of these fish are known. They have been studied extremely poorly.

Indonesian coelacanth (English: Indonesian Coelacanth, Latin: Latimeria menadoensis)


Opened in 1999. A living fossil and probably the oldest fish on Earth. Before the discovery of the first representative of the coelant order, which includes the coelacanth, it was considered completely extinct. The divergence time of the two modern species of coelacanth is 30-40 million years. No more than a dozen were caught alive.

Hairy Angler (lat. Caulophryne polynema)


Opened in 1930. Very strange and scary fish that live on the deep bottom, where there is no sunlight - from 1 km and deeper. To lure the inhabitants of the deep sea, it uses a special luminous growth on the forehead, characteristic of the entire order of anglerfish. Thanks to its special metabolism and extremely sharp teeth, it can eat anything it comes across, even if the prey is many times larger and is also a predator. It reproduces no less strangely than it looks and feeds - due to the unusually harsh conditions and rarity of fish, the male (ten times smaller than the female) attaches to the flesh of his chosen one and transmits everything necessary through the blood.

Blobfish (lat. Psychrolutes marcidus)


Opened in 1926. Often mistaken for a joke. In fact, this is a completely real species of deep-sea bottom-dwelling marine fish of the psycholute family, which on the surface takes on a “jelly” appearance with a “sad expression.” It has been poorly studied, but this is enough to recognize it as one of the most bizarre. The photo shows a copy of the Australian Museum.

Smallmouth macropinna (English, Latin Macropinna microstoma) - winner for quirkiness


Opened in 1939. It lives at very great depths, so it has been poorly studied. In particular, the principle of fish vision was not entirely clear. It was believed that she must experience very great difficulties due to the fact that she can only see up. Only in 2009 was the structure of the eye of this fish fully studied. Apparently, when trying to study it earlier, the fish simply could not tolerate the change in pressure. The most notable feature of this species is the transparent, dome-shaped shell that covers the top and sides of its head, and the large, usually upward-pointing, cylindrical eyes that lie underneath this shell. A dense and elastic covering shell is attached to the scales of the back at the back, and on the sides to the wide and transparent periocular bones, which provide protection for the organs of vision. This covering structure is usually lost (or at least very badly damaged) when fish are brought to the surface in trawls and nets, so its existence was not known until recently. Under the covering shell there is a chamber filled with a transparent liquid, in which, in fact, the eyes of the fish are located; The eyes of living fish are bright green and separated by a thin bony septum, which, extending backwards, expands to accommodate the brain. In front of each eye, but behind the mouth, is a large rounded pouch that contains an olfactory receptor rosette. That is, what at first glance appears to be eyes in photographs of live fish is actually an olfactory organ. The green color is caused by the presence of a specific yellow pigment in them. It is believed that this pigment provides special filtering of light coming from above and reduces its brightness, allowing the fish to discern the bioluminescence of potential prey.

Exploring the underwater world of the seas and oceans reveals many surprises, amazing with the variety of life forms. The greatest amazement is caused by fish of unusual appearance and way of life. The most interesting representatives of the underwater kingdom are presented in the hit parade called strange fish in the ocean.

Representatives of the order Anglerfishes stand out from their relatives with a disproportionately large head, the size of which is almost half of the body weight. With their physique, the bizarre fish resemble giant tadpoles.

The mouth of sea bats is normal in size. But due to his fleshy red lips, he seems simply huge. The common belief that red lips are a way to attract prey is wrong. This function is performed by the esca, a tube-shaped outgrowth on the head that secretes odorous substances that are attractive to small fish and sea worms.

The whimsical image of one of the most amazing fish on the planet complements original way movement. Being a clumsy swimmer, the fish moves along the bottom on its pectoral fins, moving them like legs.

Barrel eyes were discovered by science not so long ago, and therefore have been studied only superficially. Main feature This species has a transparent head. The chamber filled with a transparent liquid is covered by a dome-shaped shell. Through it, as if through a viewing screen, the fish watches its prey. The cylindrical, bright green eyes are also hidden under a transparent shell. They are directed upward and are able to see almost pitch darkness. The eyelid folds on the front of the muzzle are actually olfactory organs.

The macropinna spends most of its time motionless. It is active only during hunting. Fish with a transparent head can be seen in the subtropical and temperate waters of the Pacific Ocean at a depth of 500-800 m.

The representative of ray-finned fish received its name for its slightly bulging and upward-pointing eyes. She spends most of her time at the bottom of the reservoir in the sand, burrowing into it so that only 2 large eyes and a small pink antennae peek out to the surface. With this organ, the astrologer attracts prey to itself and at the most crucial moment pounces on it with lightning speed.

Stargazers are the only perciformes that are capable of creating powerful electrical discharges, reaching 50V. Electrical organs are located on the head near the eyes. They generate impulses when the animal is restless or during feeding.

The underwater predator got its name from the robe-like folds of skin covering the gill slits. This unique and interesting species of deep-sea fish is found in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans.

The frilled fish is more similar in appearance to an eel than to its shark relatives. It has a long body, a large flattened head, and tightly fitting dorsal and ventral fins. And the unusual shark hunts like a snake: first it bends its body, and then performs a sharp thrust forward. Thanks to its capacious sliding jaws, the predator is able to swallow whole prey whose dimensions are half its own height.

The deep-sea inhabitant is famous for its extraordinary gluttony. He is able to easily swallow prey that is 10 times heavier and 2 times longer than his own height.

Chiasmodons live in subtropical waters at a depth of 1-2 thousand m. Despite its predatory habits, the size of the crooked swallow rarely exceeds 15 cm. It copes with large prey thanks to its huge mouth with fang-like teeth, the elastic bones of the body itself and the easily stretchable walls of the stomach.

Greed for food often has a detrimental effect on the predator itself. Large portions of food do not have time to be digested. Swallowed prey begins to decompose inside the chiasmodon, causing gas formation in the intestinal walls, which leads to the forced rise of the fish to the surface.

The pelican eel is the sole representative of the largemouth family. It is found in all oceans except the Arctic Ocean. Settles at a depth of 1-9 thousand m.

This fish with a large mouth has enormous jaws strewn with hundreds of tiny teeth, which make up about a quarter of the length of the entire body. The lower part of the predator's jaw is equipped with a sac, into the cavity of which captured prey in the form of mollusks, plankton and pelagic fish is placed.

To move, the pelican uses a long, whip-like tail. Its end is equipped with tiny tentacles that emit a pink glow, interspersed with bright flashes. This attracts prey.

A sea creature with a terrifying name is a clear example of how a living organism can adapt to even the most unfavorable living conditions. The predator lives at the bottom of the deepest reservoirs, where the water has a low temperature and its pressure reaches colossal parameters.

The calling card of this fish is the rod-like ray of the dorsal fin. The end of the “fishing rod” hanging over the vast mouth is equipped with a skin growth filled with thousands of luminous bacteria. Photophores act as bait for rare inhabitants of the ocean floor. The anglerfish can dim and light up glowing bacteria by dilating blood vessels.

Thanks to its well-stretched stomach, the anglerfish can easily swallow prey that is significantly larger than itself. Everything would be fine, but he is not able to digest large food, however, he also cannot spit it back out due to the protruding teeth barrier.

Eschmeyer's Scorpio stands out for its very unusual appearance. Bizarre protrusions and strange appendages on the fish's body make it almost indistinguishable from corals. The colors are very diverse and depend mainly on the habitat, providing ideal secret camouflage.

The motley beauty is found in the waters of the tropics and subtropics of the Indian, Atlantic and Pacific Oceans at a depth of 15-90 m. The fish prefers to lead a sedentary lifestyle. During the day, she hides among corals or in caves of coastal rocks. The inhabitant of the underwater kingdom moves to a new place only occasionally and only under cover of night. To do this, it relies on fins, which are similar in structure to paws.

The scorpion fish got its name due to its main weapon - thirteen sharp poisonous spines on its back. The toxin contained in the venom is not fatal to humans, but can cause redness and swelling of the affected area.

Representative of the family pipefish- quite an extravagant creature. The head is like a horse, the mouth is elongated into a tube, a long graceful neck, a pot-bellied tummy and a tail wrapped in a spiral. Dozens of leathery projections and small spines make the seahorse inaccessible to predators and unsightly among plants.

Of interest is not only the appearance, but also the way the fish moves.

The seahorse moves jerkily: up and down, from time to time moving diagonally towards the target. Two large swim bladders located in the abdominal and head parts help the animal maintain a vertical position.

Since the shape of the body does not allow the fish to swim quickly, they wait for their victims, hiding among corals and algae, wrapping their tail around the support for safety. As soon as the gaping planktonic crustacean gets into range, the seahorse performs an instant pirouette and literally sucks the prey into itself.

A resident of the sea kingdom, living in the depths of Tasmania and Australia, can only be called handsome with a stretch. The head of the half-meter monster is “decorated” by a process resembling a huge nose, on the sides of which there are 2 far-set eyes. The muzzle with a huge mouth, the corners of which are directed downward, is similar to a sad, flabby face. The body of the animal is not covered with scales, but has outgrowths in the form of small spines.

The main difference between representatives of the psycholute family is the absence of a swim bladder. They remain afloat due to a gelatinous body resembling pink gel-like jelly, the density of which is minimal.

Since these creatures are not endowed with developed muscles, they obtain food for themselves by slowly moving with their mouths open along the bottom.

A representative of the Scapanorhynchus family is unique in its appearance. An adult specimen, reaching a length of 3.5-4 m, has translucent skin with translucent vessels. The muzzle of Scapanorhynchus is decorated with a wedge-shaped outgrowth. This sensitive organ helps to find food in pitch darkness.

The jaws of the goblin shark are a separate issue. While the predator is full, its mouth is practically invisible. But as soon as a potential victim appears on the horizon, terrifying jaws literally extend out of the flat snout. The teeth of the upper jaw have a straight cone shape for easier biting, while the teeth of the lower jaw are curved inward, which greatly simplifies the task of crushing shells. This amazing transformation occurs due to the fact that the jaws are not fused with the skull.

What is also unusual for these sharks is that the functions of their swim bladder are performed by the liver, which occupies 25% of the total body weight. In addition, if necessary, they know how to regurgitate swallowed food, literally turning their stomach inside out.

Fish species of the Batrachaidae family are found in tropical waters. Toadfish only vaguely resemble their relatives in the usual way of thinking. Being ambush predators, these creatures disguise themselves as plants of the benthic world. Buried in the muddy bottom, they are able to freeze and remain motionless for several hours, pretending to go without food.

The cunning predators are famous for their lightning-fast ability to swallow their prey. It is impossible to see the rapid process with the naked eye. To record the eating process, scientists had to record it on camera and then watch it in slow motion.

Toadfish may make sounds that resemble hoarse grunts or grinding sounds. This is how they warn competitors about their rights to the occupied land. The sound intensity sometimes reaches 100 decibels, which can even cause pain in the ear.

The selection of the strangest fish in the ocean is completed by a sea monster called Idiacanthus. This strange creature is unusual in everything - appearance, development and lifestyle.

The fish is found in temperate waters of the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic Oceans. It has a snake-like body 6-8 cm long with smooth skin of a black or light brown hue.

The most frightening thing about the creature’s appearance is its large mouth, the jaws of which are complemented by incredibly sharp teeth of varying lengths. The teeth are so large that they do not allow the idiot to completely close its mouth.

The terrifying teeth glow in the night, creating a truly eerie sight. The lower jaw of the predator is equipped with a long process, which also shines in the darkness, luring future victims. Idiocanths are nocturnal and hunt mainly for large prey, the size of which sometimes exceeds their own height.

Fish are aquatic vertebrates characterized by gill breathing. They can live in both fresh and salt waters. They can be found in various bodies of water: from mountain streams to the depths of the sea. Many people have been familiar with an impressive list of sea fish since childhood. These include capelin and herring, pollock and cod, halibut and hake, as well as many other small and large sea fish, the names and photos of some of which can be studied in the article offered to you.

Cod fish - photos, names

The cod family lives not only in salty, but also in fresh water bodies of the northern hemisphere. In addition to burbot, all codfish are marine species. They are distinguished by:

  • mustache on the chin;
  • 1-2 anal fins;
  • 2-3 dorsal fins;
  • very small scales;
  • about 1% fat content of meat;
  • approximately 7% of fat reserves in the liver.

Cod. A bottom-dwelling fish with a light green elongated body that feeds on small fish. It is distinguished by an abundance of dark spots on the sides, back, and lighter ones on the abdomen. It has dense white meat, which is high in protein and low in muscle bone. It is valued for its nutritional qualities and is a good raw material for the production of fish oil.

Navaga. Sea schooling bottom fish, which is divided into two types:

Haddock. Ray-finned fish, living in northern seas Arctic and Atlantic oceans. Average weight is about 3 kg, length from 50 to 75 kg. But there are also larger individuals. It is distinguished by a slightly flattened laterally, relatively tall body with a lilac or purple back. The belly of the haddock is silvery or milky white. The fish has very tender and tasty meat, which contains many minerals.

Pollock. The family is benthic and lives in the coastal waters of many oceans in the north. It can weigh about 1.5 kg and reach a length of up to 55 cm. It is distinguished by an elongated body and a caudal fin with a small notch. Pollock meat contains about two percent fat and many vitamins and minerals.

Mackerel family - photos, names

The family includes ray-finned fish, which are characterized by:

  • additional fins behind the anal and soft dorsal fins;
  • laterally compressed thin caudal peduncle with 2 or 3 keels;
  • fusiform long body;
  • bony ring around the eyes.

The names of the fast swimmers of this marine family include: tuna, marel, sard, bonito, wahoo, Azov-Black Sea, Atlantic, Kuril and Far Eastern mackerel. Their meat usually does not have small bones, but is quite fatty and tender. It contains a lot of vitamins D and B12, as well as omega-3 acids.

Flounder family - photo, name

Right-sided flounders They belong to the family of ray-finned fish, whose eyes are located on the right side of the head. They have symmetrical pelvic fins, and the eggs do not contain a drop of fat. While swimming, they develop in the thickness or upper layer of water.

Most often, sea halibut or flounder are isolated. In total, about 500 flounder-like individuals are found in the depths of the sea.

Flounder

Another name for this type of fish is sea ​​chicken. It has white meat without small bones, the fat content of which ranges from 1% to 5%. The most famous are the North American species of this marine fish. Flounder meat is rich in vitamins D and A, and selenium.

Halibut

Among the varieties of these marine fish, the most popular are white-skinned, black-skinned and blue-skinned halibut. The fat content of their meat ranges from 5% to 12%. It is rich in vitamins B12 and B6, phosphorus, selenium, potassium and magnesium. Halibut can be used to reduce resistance in the veins, improve blood flow and prevent arrhythmia and atherosclerosis.

Herring fish - names, photos

Marine fish of this species are distinguished by the fact that they there are not a single scale on the head. They have very small teeth and no or very short lateral line. The most important commercial species of herring are:

  • European sprat;
  • European sardine;
  • Pacific herring;
  • Atlantic herring;
  • Atlantic menhaden.

Sea herring meat has a large amount of protein, polyunsaturated fats, and vitamin A.

Terrible sea predators sharks

The most ancient representatives of these individuals already existed about 420 million years. Currently there are more than 450 species. The smallest shark measures 17 cm. Whale shark- This is the largest fish, the length of which can reach twenty meters.

Sharks are mainly predatory fish, however, some of them feed on small fish, squid and plankton. These include largemouth, basking and whale sharks.

Despite the fact that according to some reports, mercury accumulates in shark meat, it is still used as food by some cultures. Shark fins are used by the peoples of Asia to prepare delicious soups. And her liver contains vitamins B and A, and is used for the manufacture of various medicines.

Sargan family - photo

This is another species of predatory marine fish. Garfish are different:

  • needle-shaped body;
  • small teeth;
  • long jaws;
  • weighing 400 g;
  • 95 cm long.

Sarganfish live in the White, Barents, and Baltic seas, where they walk along the coast, chasing schools of fish. Garfish meat is very tasty However, when cooking it you need to know one feature. When boiled, fish bones turn green, which is not something to be afraid of.

The article presented only a small part of the names and photos of fish that are inhabitants of the deep sea. The meat of all of them is very healthy and therefore quite often found on dinner tables. Even animals are recommended to be fed not with river fish, but with sea fish, which are least contaminated with heavy metals and do not contain pesticides and radionuclides.

Sea fish









Active study of the underwater world began relatively recently - in the middle of the last century. To do this, it was necessary to come up with sonars, scuba tanks, bathyscaphes... How many surprises turned out to be in the depths of the sea! The diversity of life forms is simply stunning. Here are ten of the most charming, strange, creepy and rare fish that humanity has discovered.

Hairy monkfish. Opened in 1930. Very strange and scary fish that live on the deep bottom, where there is no sunlight - from 1 km and deeper. To lure the inhabitants of the deep sea, it uses a special luminous growth on the forehead, characteristic of the entire order of anglerfish. Thanks to its special metabolism and extremely sharp teeth, it can eat anything it comes across, even if the prey is many times larger and is a predator. It reproduces no less strangely than it looks and eats - due to the unusually harsh conditions and rarity of fish, the male (ten times smaller than the female) attaches to the flesh of his chosen one and transmits everything necessary through the blood.


Cloakbearer. Opened in 1884. These sharks look much more like a strange sea snake or eel than their closest relatives. In the frilled shark, the gill openings, of which there are six on each side, are covered with skin folds. Along with the goblin shark, it is one of the rarest sharks on the planet. No more than a hundred specimens of these fish are known. They have been studied extremely poorly.

Psychedelic frog fish. Opened in 2009. The head is large, the widely spaced eyes are directed forward, like in vertebrates, due to which the fish has a peculiar “facial expression”. Unlike other fish that swim, this species moves as if jumping, pushing off the bottom with its pectoral fins and pushing water out of the gill slits, creating jet thrust. The tail of the fish is curved to the side and cannot directly direct the movement of the body, so it oscillates from side to side. The fish can also crawl along the bottom using its pectoral fins, moving them like legs.

Drop fish. Opened in 1926. Often mistaken for a joke. In fact, this is a completely real species of deep-sea bottom-dwelling marine fish of the psycholute family, which on the surface takes on a “jelly” appearance with a “sad expression.” It has been poorly studied, but this is enough to recognize it as one of the most bizarre. The photo shows a copy from the Australian Museum.

Rag picker. Opened in 1865. Representatives of this type of fish are notable for the fact that their entire body and head are covered with processes that imitate algae. Although these processes are similar to fins, they do not take part in swimming and serve for camouflage (both when hunting shrimp and for protection from enemies). Lives in the waters of the Indian Ocean. It feeds on plankton, small shrimp, and algae. Having no teeth, the rag picker swallows its food whole.

Ambon scorpionfish. Opened in 1856. Easily identified by its huge “eyebrows” - specific growths above the eyes. Able to change color and shed. Conducts a “guerrilla” hunt - camouflaging at the bottom and waiting for the victim. It is not uncommon and has been quite well studied, but its extravagant appearance simply cannot be ignored!

Moonfish (English: Ocean Sunfish, Latin: Mola mola).
Opened in 1758. The laterally compressed body is extremely high and short, which gives the fish an extremely strange appearance: it resembles a disk in shape. The tail is very short, wide and truncated. The skin is thick and elastic, covered with small bony tubercles. The sunfish can often be seen lying on its side on the surface of the water. The adult is a very poor swimmer, unable to overcome strong currents. It feeds on plankton, as well as squid, eel larvae, salps, ctenophores and jellyfish. It can reach gigantic sizes of several meters and weigh 2 tons.

Coelacanth Indonesian. Opened in 1999. A living fossil and probably the oldest fish on Earth. Before the discovery of the first representative of the coelant order, which includes the coelacanth, it was considered completely extinct. The divergence time of the two modern species of coelacanth is 30–40 million years. No more than a dozen were caught alive.

Broad-nosed chimera. Opened in 1909. Absolutely disgusting looking jelly fish. It lives on the deep bottom of the Atlantic Ocean and feeds on mollusks. Extremely poorly studied.

Smallmouth macropinna. Opened in 1939. It lives at very great depths, so it has been poorly studied. Only in 2009 was the structure of the eye of this fish fully studied. Apparently, when trying to study it earlier, the fish simply could not tolerate the change in pressure. The most notable feature of this species is the transparent, dome-shaped shell that covers the top and sides of its head, and the large, usually upward-pointing, cylindrical eyes that lie underneath this shell. This covering structure is usually lost (or at least very badly damaged) when fish are brought to the surface in trawls and nets, so its existence was not known until recently. Under the covering shell there is a chamber filled with a transparent liquid, in which, in fact, the eyes of the fish are located; The eyes of living fish are bright green and separated by a thin bony septum. In front of each eye, but behind the mouth, is a large rounded pouch that contains an olfactory receptor rosette. That is, what at first glance appears to be eyes in photographs of live fish is actually an olfactory organ.