The incredible variety of forms and species of certain fish is the result of their widespread distribution, which influenced the evolutionary development of these creatures. Fish live in dams overgrown with aquatic vegetation, and in small puddles left after 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 water pressure can reach 1000 atmospheres, and even in underground caves!
Evolution is a terrible thing!
Naturally, in the course of evolution, adaptation to habitat in extreme and inaccessible conditions leaves a peculiar imprint on the 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 monster fish." The lifestyle of these creatures is markedly different from the life of ordinary and familiar fish.
Gulping fish
One of the most poorly studied species of deep-sea fish is the so-called chiasmodon, or black live-swallow. In almost any book describing such monsters, the live-swallow resembles a boa constrictor swallowing an elephant. In fact, live-throats are small fish, their length rarely exceeds 15 centimeters. However, this does not prevent them from swallowing their prey as a whole. These monster fish live at great depths of the ocean - up to 750 m.
Their elongated and bare body with weak muscles and rather soft bones is black or brown in color, and their huge mouths are armed with sharp and powerful teeth resembling fangs. They are located immediately in several rows (like sharks). Probably, it is not necessary to remind that the problem of nutrition in deep-sea conditions is very acute. So that the competitors did not get anything, the livestock swallowers adapted to swallow their victims instantly and without much thought.
Sack shorts
Other monster fishes - baggies, learned to solve the nutrition problem at great depths no less originally. Scientists claim that their way of obtaining food was thorny: evolution turned these creatures into a huge mouth with an inconspicuous appendage, which is the body. The most famous and recognizable species of sackcloth fish is the Bolsherot, or pelican eel. In length, this monster reaches 60 cm, 30% of which falls on the long and rather thin jaws located on a giant mouth!
From the lower jaw, a long and large pharynx continues straight down, stretching like a sack. Visually, it resembles a throat bag of a pelican, for which the bolsherot was nicknamed pelican eel. In principle, the mechanism of action of such a pharynx is identical with the action of bags of pelicans: all caught fish fall through them. This allows both fish and birds to stock up on feed for the future. Often, a large fish swallows prey twice its size!
Bolsheroty - these are true deep-sea monster fish, because they live at a distance of 3 thousand meters under water! That is why bolsheroty experience severe nutritional difficulties: their pharyngeal sacs are rarely ever replenished with delicious deep-sea fish and crustaceans. Therefore, they have to be content with everything in a row. According to legend, algae, pebbles, and quite a few fish were found in one large bolsherot in a pharyngeal sack. At gigantic depths - up to 5 thousand meters - in general you can meet the so-called real bag-breeds, reaching a length of 1.84 meters!
Eyeless Hypnops
Which fish monsters that live at great depths of the sea differ from the rest not only in their large mouths, but also in their peculiar vision? Of course, hypnosis! The fact is that deep-sea monsters have to solve in any way the problems associated with poor visibility, or rather, with its absence at all. The hypnops mentioned above, living at depths from 900 to 6, 000 meters, generally followed the path of least resistance, completely losing their vision. It is understandable: why do you need eyes, if you still can’t see anything around?
According to the descriptions of ichthyologists and researchers from the Jacques-Yves Cousteau team, the eyes of hypnops are either completely absent, or (which is very rare) are so tiny and hidden under scales and skin that they are not able to perceive light at all. It is worth noting that such a solution to the problems did not suit the vast majority of deep monsters, since vision in the life of these creatures continued and continues to play a large role. To see in conditions of constant darkness, many of them needed special devices, but this is another story.
Legendary herring king
Not so long ago, another discovery of ichthyologists was told on the American television channel Nat Geo Wild. Monster fish, it turns out, differ not only in large widths! The fact is that the researchers finally managed to capture on video a rare deep fish that once inspired fear in sailors. Her name is the herring king, or a fish belt. She accidentally fell into the lens of a television camera, which allowed zoologists from the University of Louisiana to personally observe the legendary herring king in his natural habitat.
Unexpected meeting"
Until now, a fish belt, reaching 17 meters in length, could be seen either dead or dying at the moment when it voluntarily surfaced on 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 recorded on video in the so-called life mode. According to the Discovery television channel, monster fish that are in the same family as the herring king are found at depths of up to 1, 500 meters.
The fish-belt was noticed by the researchers several years ago when, using surveillance cameras, they examined a drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico. However, this unexpected “meeting” was declassified not so long ago. Experts told about this on the BBC channel. Professor Mark Benfield then shared his impressions: “We generally thought that we had before us another oil pipe. As soon as we enlarged the image, we realized that this was not a pipe, but a real herring king! ”
Deep sea angler
These creatures are real monster fish! Their second name is ceratiform. They are the most studied among all the deep-sea fish described in this article. Anglerfish belong to the suborder of deep fish from the anglerfish order and inhabit the water column throughout the World Ocean, i.e. everywhere. Currently, ichthyologists have described 11 families, which include almost 120 species. Deep-sea anglers live at depths of up to 3, 000 meters. They differ from other monsters in the spherical and strongly flattened lateral shape of the body. Females have the so-called "fishing rod".
The famous "fishing" anglers
"Fishing rod" is a modified ray of the dorsal fin, which is the "calling card" of these creatures. Such a "fishing rod" plays the role of bait. At its end is the so-called eska - a small skin outgrowth hanging over a huge mouth with needle-shaped teeth. Esca is filled with millions of different luminous bacteria. They serve as a bait for small and stupid fish that, like moths in the light, swim towards it. Monster fish with such “fishing rods” can control the frequency and brightness of flashes. This allows them to enhance the effect produced by the fool victim.
River fish monsters. Terrible Terapon Goliath
This is a distant and rather rare relative of modern piranha. However, piranhas are tiny and harmless fish compared to this monster. Therapon-goliath was found and caught by one of the popular American anglers in the Congo River, Africa. This monster has 32 sharp, like a razor, 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.
