Deep-sea fish monsters. River fish monsters

The incredible variety of forms and species of these or those fish is the result of their ubiquitous distribution, which influenced the evolutionary development of these creatures. Pisces also live in flooded water bodies, in small puddles left after the rain, and in mountain streams with powerful currents, and in mountain lakes at an altitude of 600 meters above sea level, and at great depths where the water pressure can reach 1000 atmospheres , And even in underground caves!

Evolution is a terrible thing!

Naturally, in the course of evolution, adapting to inhabiting under extreme and difficult conditions imposes a certain imprint on the external appearance of some fish. The most terrible and amazing of them swim not only in underground caves, but also at great depths. They are called "deep-sea fish monsters". The way of life of these creatures is markedly different from the life of ordinary and familiar to us fish.

Fish-Angry Birds

One of the most poorly studied species of deep-sea fish is the so-called chiasmodon, or black anthropophagous. Practically in any book describing such monsters, the animal is like a boa constrictor swallowing an elephant. In fact, the natives are fish of small size, their length rarely exceeds 15 centimeters. However, this does not prevent them from swallowing their prey entirely. These monster fish live in large ocean depths - up to 750 m.

Their elongated and naked body with weak muscles and rather soft bones has a black or brown color, and the huge mouth is armed with sharp and powerful teeth resembling fangs. They are located in several rows (like sharks). Probably, it is not necessary to remind that the problem of nutrition in deep-sea conditions is very acute. To ensure that the competitors do not get anything, the creatures have adapted to swallow their victims instantly and without much thought.

Meshcharot

Not less original solve the problem of nutrition at great depths learned other fish monsters - meshkoroty. Scientists argue that their way of producing food was very thorny: evolution turned these creatures into a huge mouth with a barely noticeable appendage, which is the body. The most famous and recognizable species of mechkorotovyh fish is bigot, or pelican eel. In length this monster reaches 60 cm, 30% of which falls on the long and rather thin jaws located on the giant jaws!

From the lower jaw straight down continues a long and big pharynx, stretching out like a sack. Visually, it resembles the throaty bag of a pelican, for which the burr was nicknamed the pelican eel. In principle, the mechanism of action of such a pharynx is identical with the action of bags in pelicans: they fall through all the caught fish. This allows both fish and poultry to store food for future use. Often, the fish swallows the prey, exceeding its size by half!

Bolsherots are true deep-sea monster fish, after all, they live 3 thousand meters under water! That is why the Bolsheviks experience the inherent difficulties in nutrition: their pharyngeal sacks are rarely replenished with delicious deep-sea fish and crustaceans. So they have to settle for everything. According to legend, one caught bigot in the pharyngeal sac was found algae, pebbles and quite a few fish. At giant depths - up to 5 thousand meters - in general you can find so-called real meshkorotov, reaching a length of 1.84 meters!

Eyeless Hypnopses

What monster fish, living in great depths of the sea, differ from the rest not only with large mouths, but also with a peculiar vision? Of course, the Hypnops! The fact is that deep-sea monsters have to solve in any way problems associated with poor visibility, or rather, with its absence at all. The above-mentioned hippopotamuses, living at depths of 900 to 6,000 meters, generally took the path of least resistance, completely losing their sight. It's understandable: why do you need eyes, if you still can not see anything around?

According to the descriptions of ichthyologists from the team of Jacques-Yves Cousteau, the eyes of the hippopotamuses are either absent altogether, or (which is very rare) are so tiny and hidden under the scales and skin that they can not perceive light at all. It is worth noting that this solution to the problems did not suit the vast majority of deep-seated monsters, as the vision in the life of these creatures continued and continues to play a big role. To see in conditions of constant darkness, many of them needed special adaptations, but this is another story.

The legendary herring king

Not so long ago one more discovery of ichthyologist scientists was told on the American television channel Nat Geo Wild. Fish monsters, it turns out, differ not only in their large width! The fact is that the researchers finally managed to capture the rarest deep fish on the video, which once cast fear on the sailors. Her name is the herring king, or the strap-fish. She accidentally fell into the lens of the television camera, which allowed zoologists from the University of Louisiana personally to watch the legendary seldom king in his natural habitat.

Unexpected meeting"

Until now, a belt-fish, reaching 17 meters in length, could be seen either dead or dying at a time when it voluntarily floated to the surface of the water. This is the first time that such legendary underwater monsters were not only visible to the entire scientific world community, but also fixed on the video in the so-called life-mode. According to the Discovery Channel, monster fish that are in the same family as the herring king are found at depths of up to 1.5 thousand meters.

The fish-belt was noticed by researchers a few years ago, when with the help of CCTV cameras they inspected the rig in the Gulf of Mexico. However, this unexpected "meeting" was declassified not so long ago. Specialists, talked about this and on the air of the BBC channel. Professor Mark Benfield then shared his impressions: "We generally thought that we were facing another oil pipe. As soon as we increased the image, we realized that it was not a pipe, but a real herring king! ".

Deepwater pugilist

These creatures are real fish monsters! Their second name is ceraceous. They are the most studied among all the deep-sea fish described in this article. The anglers belong to the suborder of deep-seated fish from a troop of rod-shaped people and inhabit the water column throughout the World Ocean, i.е. Everywhere. At present, 11 families are described by ichthyologists, which include almost 120 species. Deep-sea anglers live at depths of up to 3000 meters. From other monsters they differ spherical and strongly flattened from the sides by the shape of the trunk. The females have a so-called "fishing rod".

Famous fishing anglers

"Fishing rod" is a modified ray of the dorsal fin, which is the "visiting card" of these creatures. This "fishing rod" plays the role of bait. At its end is a so-called esque - a small cutaneous growth, hanging over a huge mouth with needle-like teeth. Eska is filled with millions of different luminous bacteria. They serve as a bait for small and stupid fish, which, like moths to the light, float to it. Monster fish that have such "fishing rods" know how to control the frequency and brightness of flashes. This allows them to enhance the effect produced on the fooled victim.

River fish monsters. The horrible terapon-goliath

It is a distant and rather rare relative of modern piranhas. However, piranhas are compared to this monster - tiny and harmless fishes. Terapon Goliath was found and caught by one of the most popular American fishers in the Congo River, Africa. This monster has 32 sharp, razor-sharp teeth and is the most terrible freshwater fish in the world! In addition, it is the largest and most deadly species, representing the family of piranhas.

Pylorilnye rays

Their second name is fish-saws. They have a sharklike trunk and a long flat outgrowth in the form of their own snout, framed on the sides with long teeth of the same size. Outwardly this outgrowth resembles a saw, for which these freshwater creatures were nicknamed fish-saws. In principle, sawtooth does not pose a serious danger to humans, but their appearance can frighten even the most brave diver. And all because they outwardly resemble exotic sharks. Nevertheless, sharks, unlike fish-saws, are not found in fresh water. Remember this!