"Who lives at the bottom of the ocean?": British scientists have discovered unusual deep-sea creatures (5 photos)

British scientists from the Victoria Museum's Research Institute during a scientific expedition to deep-sea volcanoes in the Indian Ocean, showed photographs of the charming abodes of the depths. Researchers sent submersibles to depths in the area of ​​the Australian maritime park of the Cocos Islands. They are a pair of atolls, consisting of 27 coral islands. The islands are actually tops of two huge seamounts. Whom at the bottom of the sea just not it turned out! Scientists have discovered several unusual fish species there at once.

"Fish are outstanding deep sea mods. They come in all shapes and sizes. sizes, with luminous organs, lures, rays turned into tripods or camouflage appendages, and huge (or missing) eyes. Each species is excellently adapted to extreme conditions. deep water," says expedition leader Tim O'Hara.

1. Eel from the Congridae family. Handsome!





2. Deep sea bat. This predator uses its limbs to move along the bottom.



3. High-finned lizard. These are toothy deep-sea predators, which are hermaphrodites: they both have male and female female reproductive tissues



4. Flounder from the order Pleuronectiformes. These fish have both eyes. located on one side of the head, which helps to eat and feed camouflage on the seabed.



5. Sloane's viper fish. It is believed that the viper fish she can live at depth for 30 - 40 years, and in captivity for only a couple of hours. inhabit at the bottom up to 3,000 meters deep.