Compared to the world we know on land, the environment of the depths of the ocean seems like a completely different universe. Underwater you can find species you would never come across on land – and some of them are downright weird. While we contend that we love all animals equally, no matter what they look like, you have to admit, some of these marine species are just plain bizarre!
There are hundreds of thousands of different species that can be found underwater that most humans will never set their eyes on, that is unless they are like us and like to search out the ocean’s most interesting marine species! Although the oceanic environment is, for all intents and purposes, a completely different world than our own, our existence relies heavily on the survival of these strange marine species. Around 70 percent of the world’s oxygen is produced by marine plants, not to mention that the planet’s oceans currently absorb 30 percent of atmospheric carbon dioxide.
We have a lot to thank the oceans for, but sadly, humans have mostly returned these favors by fishing marine species into extinction, dumping plastic and trash into the water, and slowly making the ocean more acidic by recklessly burning fossil fuels. We’re not the greatest neighbors, huh? We could all stand to be more appreciative of the world’s marine species, and what better way to gain a renewed appreciation for the oceans than by looking at some pictures of radical marine organisms!
So, are you ready to take the plunge?
1. Axolotl
2. Platybrachium Antarcticum, Sea-Angel
3. Pink Sea-Through Fantasia
Laurence Madin/Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
4. The Squidworm
Laurence Madin/Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
5. Larval Tube-Anemone
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