The ocean is deep, scary, and filled with freaky things that can emerge from the depths at any moment.
The ocean is deep, scary, and filled with freaky things that can emerge from the depths at any moment.
Last week, that freaky thing was an angler fish that divers filmed in shallow waters off the coast of Tenerife. This male version of the terrifying deep sea fish was much smaller than thalassophobia sufferers imagined, and the poor little guy went viral before dying outside of his natural habitat.
But angler fish are not the only weird things in the ocean. Here are 13 other unexpected findings that have bubbled up from the deep.
1
An Angler Fish
Last week, researchers in Tenerife stumbled across a male angler fish in shallow waters. Angler fish can live as deep as 2,000 meters, and are virtually never seen near the surface. It is unclear what prompted this one to venture up, although it perished shortly after.
2
Mysterious Metal Ball
This mysterious metal ball washed ashore in Japan in 2023, prompting officials to scramble a bomb squad. Ultimately the ball was a false alarm, and identified as a deep sea buoy.
3
Manfred Fritz Bajorat’s Mummy
Bajorat attempted to sail around the world in 2015. However, he went missing late in the year, and was discovered dead on his yacht 40 miles from the Philippines. Surprisingly, his body stayed incredibly well preserved thanks to the dry and salty ocean air.
4
Metal Die
This giant metal die washed ashore in Lake Coeur d'Alene. Nobody knows where it came from, or what it was used for.
5
Doomsday Fish
The giant oarfish is a large deep sea herring that is seldom seen near the surface. Legend says they predict earthquakes. This one appeared off the coast of New Taipei’s Ruifang District, likely due to injury. We're still waiting on the earthquake.
6
Giant Spiders
That’s right. If you think water will help you stay away from spiders, think again. Everybody knows about sea snakes, but there are giant sea spiders too.
7
The Lost City of Heracleion
It’s not often that a long lost city actually turns up, but ancient Egypt’s Heracleion really did. It’s located 6.5 km off the coast of Alexandria.
8
Snack Beach
This silly scene is the result of a broken shipping container.
9
The Ghost Shark
One of the rarest sharks, a Canadian fisherman caught this deep sea beast in 2016.
10
The Baltic Sea Anomaly
This weird shape on the Baltic Sea floor looks like a crashed UFO. However, experts assure us it’s just a rock formation. I guess we have to take their word for it.
11
A Portuguese Man o' War
A Portuguese Man o' War washed up on Fort Walton Beach, Florida. Don’t touch that thing.
12
Very Old Sharks
In 2016, researchers used carbon isotopes to date an ancient Greenland shark. The shark was 392 years old, meaning it lived at the same time as Oliver Cromwell, and the early Virginia colonies.
13
World War II Bombs
There are an alarming number of undetonated World War II bombs around the world. In 2012, around 1,000 popped up on Mapleton Beach in England. Fortunately they were successfully disarmed.
14
Giant Isopods
Do you hate massive bugs? Well unfortunately for you, the ocean is full of them, including multiple species of giant isopods. However, they mostly reside on the frigid ocean floor.
