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“71% Of The Earth’s Surface Is Covered By Water”, And These 50 Pics Of Deep Water Are Exactly The Reason Why That’s Not Good
The ocean is shrouded in mystery. It covers about 71% of the Earth’s surface, yet we know very little about it when you consider how vast it is. In fact, it is estimated that at least 80% of the ocean has never been mapped, explored or seen by any humans. So what is lurking out there? We’ll never know everything, but one online group is dedicated to featuring all of the creepy, beautiful and fascinating creatures that are living deep down in the sea.
Let me introduce you to The Depths Below subreddit. With the tagline, “Because we all know there’s things lurking underwater”, this group shares rarely seen footage and photos of sea creatures that you might not even know exist. We’ve gathered some of their most captivating posts down below, so if you already have a fear of the ocean, tread lightly. But if you’re intrigued by the mysteries and depth of these great bodies of water, we think you will have a blast exploring this list. Be sure to upvote all of the creatures that you find most interesting, and then let us know in the comments if you have ever seen any peculiar animals while at the beach. Keep reading to also find interviews with Dr. Scarlett Smash and Dr. Craken MacCraic of the Marine Conservation Happy Hour Podcast, and Bart Vanhoorne of the World Register of Marine Species. Then if you’re looking for another Bored Panda piece highlighting how vast and mystifying the ocean is, check out this story next.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Leaf Sheep, The Adorable, Photosynthesizing Sea Slugs
RELATED:
#2
Great Googly Moogly
#3
Meet "Inspector Clouseau", The World’s Only Pink Manta Ray
#5
A Mother Humpback Whale And Her Calf, In A Position Known As “Echelon”
Pandamonium 4 years ago
I feel comforted just by looking at this picture, so I know the little calf must feel well protected. ❤
#6
Meet This 90 Year Old Turtle!
Pandamonium 4 years ago (edited)
Does he have purple eyes or...? Anyway, congrats on making it to 90, old man! ❤
#7
The ‘Strawberry Squid’ Lives In A Region Of The Ocean Known As The Mesopelagic Or "Twilight" Zone, 200 To 1000 Meters Below The Surface [photo By Paul Caiger]
![The ‘Strawberry Squid’ Lives In A Region Of The Ocean Known As The Mesopelagic Or "Twilight" Zone, 200 To 1000 Meters Below The Surface [photo By Paul Caiger]](https://static.boredpanda.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/scary-underwater-pics-the-depths-below-204-62d95c4e71306__700.jpg "The ‘Strawberry Squid’ Lives In A Region Of The Ocean Known As The Mesopelagic Or \"Twilight\" Zone, 200 To 1000 Meters Below The Surface [photo By Paul Caiger]")
#8
Stingray Migration
#9
The Cutest Shark Attack Ever
#10
A Pair Of Eagle Rays Gliding Through The Dark Depths
#11
Sea Slugs Be Lookin Like They're Straight Out Of Ark Or Subnautica
#12
Sitting On The Edge Of The Abyss
#13
Okey, I Have To Admit This Is Almost Cute... Almost
Ranger Kanootsen 4 years ago
Cute if it weren't about to kill me. That little grin ain't fooling anyone!!
#14
A Diver Taking A Photo Of An Anaconda Underwater
#15
Hatchet Fish Faces Looking Like The Souls Of The Damned
#16
A Whale Shark Swimming In Bioluminescent Algae Makes It Look Like It Is Drifting Through Space. Video By Mike Nulty
Laura Jackson 4 years ago
Saw these at the Georgia Aquarium. The pics don't do them justice. They're far more spectacular in person! ❤️🦈
#17
The Size Difference Between An Adult Sunfish And A Sunfish Fry
#18
He's Right Behind Me, Isn't He?
#19
Saw Fish From Below
#20
A Terrifying Comparison Of The Tentacles Of The Giant Squid (Left) And Colossal Squid (Right). The Giant Squid Is Meant For Painful Latching While The Colossal Squid Is Meant For Ripping Apart
Ranger Kanootsen 4 years ago
Didn't think you could make the scariest ocean animal even scarier... I've been proven wrong again.
#21
One Of The Few Albino Whales Left On Earth
#22
Giant Sturgeon In The Fraser River, Canada
#23
A Scallop That Looks Absolutely Monstrous. The Blue Parts Are Its Eyes, And It Can Have Over 200 Of Them
Katie Lutesinger 4 years ago
No-one knows what it's like to be the bad clam, to be the sad clam, behind blue eyes.
#24
Sleeping Sperm Whales
#25
Best High Five Ever
Scout Finch 4 years ago
Then the shark swims away and smacks him in the head with the tail fin
#26
Picture Of A Leopard Seal Taken In The Dark Depths. Its Only Natural Predator Is The Killer Whale
#27
Amazon River Dolphins
#28
We Are Here To Appreciate The Awesome Majesty And Incredibly Cool Aspects Of Nature
#29
A Photo Of A Magnapinna Squid Captured By A Deep Sea Drilling Company. They Live So Deep In The Ocean That Very Little Is Know About This Creature
#30
The Mantis Shrimp, Thought To Have The Most Complex Visual System Ever Discovered In The Animal Kingdom. Humans Have 3 Types Of Photoreceptor Cells In Their Eyes, While Mantis Shrimp Have Between 12 And 16. They Can See Wavelengths Of Light And Color That Humans Cannot
Giulia Fortunati 4 years ago
They can't be kept in acquarium because they can crash every glass!
#31
This Is What A Blob Fish Actually Looks Like Underwater In Their Natural Habitat
4 years ago
yep. they lose all of their shape and have their internal organs crushed because of the intense pressure change, they typically die instantly when brought up to the surface.
#32
The Portuguese Man O War
#33
The Lizard Fish. Found 8000 Ft Below
#34
This Whale My Wife Saw While Supervising A Trydiver. First Dive And You See A Whale. Wtf
#35
Hammerhead Sharks Nailing This Group Photo
Saint Thomas 4 years ago (edited)
Except Francis, doing a funny face... Thank you Francis for ruining the christmas card !
#36
A Killer Whale Jumps 15ft High To Catch Its Prey Which Is A Dolphin
#37
The Ogre Fish Has Only Been Spotted A Few Times In Decades Of Ocean Research
#38
Sharks Kill Less Than 6 To 8 People, While Humans Kill About 100 Million Sharks Every Year
PegLegShrek 4 years ago
LISTEN UP PEOPLE, YOURE MORE LIKELY TO BEEN KILLED BY A COW THAN A SHARK!
#39
The Eye Of A Gray Whale
#40
Mother, Calf, And Escort Sleeping Peacefully
Weasel Wise 4 years ago
I wanna sleep like a whale...however, whenever, and wherever it feels like nap time.
#41
For Your Viewing Pleasure: The Viper Dogfish
#42
The Antarctic Amphipod Is One Of The Most Alien Creatures To Inhabit The Depths Below
#43
The Chirodectes (An Incredibly Rare Genus Of Box Jellyfish) Seen Just Twice, This Is The Only Known Footage To Exist. 1st Post More Details
Gaya Knust 4 years ago
For those who want to see the video (it's amazing!): https://www.reddit.com/r/TheDepthsBelow/comments/sm9djz/the_chirodectes_an_incredibly_rare_genus_of_box/
#44
Deep Blue, One Of The Largest Great White Sharks, Roams The Open Ocean
Ranger Kanootsen 4 years ago
Dear shark: You're beautiful! Dear diver: What the f**k are you doing. you crazy.
#45
Giant Squid Makes An Appearance In Tokyo Bay
Ranger Kanootsen 4 years ago
Poor, poor thing. I think it came up to the surface because it was dying.. :(
#46
Below A Crocodile
#47
A Russian Fisherman Caught A Deep Sea Fish Which Straight Up Resembles A Nightmare
#48
A Cuttlefish Has Three Hearts, Blue-Green Blood, And Horizontal Vision Which Allows Them To See Behind Themselves
#49
Pov You're A Fish In The 1700's
#50
Rare Footage Of The Giant Squid, Filmed A Few Miles From The Appomattox Deepwater Oil Rig
#51
When A Crab Gets Bitten By A Radioactive Spider...
Final score:
120points
#Amelia animal lover 4 years ago
I was gonna say spider crab imagin finding that while swimming
#53
Phantom Jellyfish Very Cool But I'd Hate To Bump Into It. Unlikely As It Lives In Deep Dark Water It.
Final score:
99points
#55
I Present To You: The 18 Metre Sea Condom
Final score:
76points
B 🇺🇦🇨🇦 4 years ago
It’s actually a bunch of tiny creatures! “Pyrosomes, genus Pyrosoma, are free-floating colonial tunicates that usually live in the upper layers of the open ocean in warm seas, although some may be found at greater depths. Pyrosomes are cylindrical or cone-shaped colonies up to 18 m long, made up of hundreds to thousands of individuals, known as zooids.“
#56
Not Everything Is Terrifying! The Sea Angel Slug Swims In The Deep Using Flaps As Sort Of Wings!
Final score:
69points
#57
Pop: It's Monday Morning In The Office And There's An Inch Of Coffee Left
Final score:
66points
#59
This Red Jellyfish Looks Like A Spaceship
#60
I’ll Be Waiting For You Below
#61
When The Kite Falls Out Of The Sky While Kitesurfing And You See This...
#63
Huge Loggerhead
#64
Deep Sea Octopus Broods Her Eggs For Over 4 Years - Longer Than Any Animal. Happy Mother’s Day Everyone!
#65
Footage From The Mariana Trench. 10,792 Meters (36,000 Feet) Below The Ocean Surface
Ranger Kanootsen 4 years ago
The fact that we, for the most part, have no clue as to what's down there is creepy enough.
#66
Two Tiger Sharks!
#67
Octopus With A Disorder That Gave It 96 Arms
#68
The Frilled Shark. I’m Not Thrilled At All
#69
Pink Fresh-Water Dolphin In The Amazon
#70
The Giant Phantom Jelly
Gemma jones 4 years ago
wow these photos are blowing my mind, remember in Futurama when that guy over gasps lol thats me right now
#71
Zebra Shark And Whale Shark
#72
A Whale In Peace
#73
Nope
#74
A Shark’s Jaw Is Essentially A Conveyor Belt Of Teeth Continuously Rolling Out, Making The Shark Always Ready For Killing
#76
Diving Next To An Iceberg
#77
Does This Go Here? Idk It Just Instills Fear Deep Within My Soul
#78
A Vortex Of Fire Under The Surface Of The Water In The Gulf Of Mexico
#79
A Giant Squid Eye. It Has The Largest Known Eye In The Entire Animal Kingdom
#80
A Type Of Hogfish, Fresh Catch
#81
The Alien Tripod Fish And Its Strange Fins That Suspend It
#82
Taken From A Fishing Boat In Antartica
#83
The Owlfish Living At Depths Of Over 6,000 Meters (19,685 Feet)
#84
Rising Up From The Murky Water Next To My Kayak
#85
How A Blobfish (A Deep Sea Fish) Looks With And Without The Extreme Water Pressure
#86
Nothing Goes To Waste
#87
Crystal Formations Under Water
#88
This Absolute Monstrosity Of A Sailfish Belongs Here 100%
#89
Not Sure If This Qualifies, But This Picture Is The Cause Of The Worst Nightmare I’ve Ever Had
Ranger Kanootsen 4 years ago
It's a shark named Rosie. It was killed by fishermen, preserved for many years in formaldehyde, and left to rot in an abandoned theme park, but was later found by an explorer. It has since been restored and I believe it's currently in the Crystal World Exhibition Centre in Australia. Scary, for sure, but also kind of sad in a way.
#90
About 345 Million Years Old Almost Intact Crinoid Fossil
#91
Large Wolf Eels Are Curious And Are Rarely Aggressive
#92
King Of The Amazon. The Arapaima
#94
Lumpsucker, Found In The Freezing Waters Of Arctic, North Atlantic, And North Pacific. It Swims At Depths Of 1,700 M (5,600ft)
#95
This Is The Thaumatichthys Axeli. It’s A Bizarre Angler Fish With A Light Source Inside Of Its Mouth And It Looks Like A Vacuum Cleaner
#96
An Anglerfish Specimen Recovered From The Depths Is The Stuff Of Nightmares
Merty Robinson 4 years ago
When anglerfish mate, the male bites the female who then becomes fused with her, sharing blood circulation and skin-she pretty much absorbs him keeping his testes as a source of sperm. Parasitic reproduction.
#97
Hungry Carp Look Straight Out Of Lovecraft
#98
Have A Terrifying Picture Of A Squid With Seemingly Human Teeth. However, The Teeth Are Just Nodes Of Flesh
#99
Only You And Him
DennyS (denzoren) 4 years ago
I shall being flirting with him/her. Maybe that'll work. If that fails, I'll make peace with all the Gods.
#100
Japanese Spider Crab, Human For Scale
#101
Divers Encounter The Sunfish, Which Can Weigh Over 4k Pounds
a_smol_berry 4 years ago (edited)
Sun Fish are sometimes called “the most useless fish” they’re the most bony fish too. They’re fins cannot move them around, so they mostly float at the surface. Predator creators have been found ripping them apart for fun and leaving the carcass and meat alone because the taste isn’t pleasant and because it’s so bony. The sun fish evolved to ruin itself, it can’t do most anything it just grows and then floats around (but I’m sure my mother has said the same about me)
#102
The Extinct Shark Helicorpion Who Had A Circular Saw Of Teeth As Its Lower Jaw
#103
Thresher Sharks Like To Breach Often
#104
The Vampire Squid
Kassiopeia 4 years ago
I think their actually quite cute, they have what looks like little cat ears. You can't see it in this picture tho
#105
Equally Awesome And Terrifying
#106
A Diver And A Southern Right Whale
#107
Alligator Snapping Turtle From R/Thalassophobia
#108
No One Likes A Show Off, But Still Worth Sharing, I Thought!
Shelli LotusFlower 4 years ago
*record scratches* You’re probably wondering how things got this way…
#109
9 Eyes, 7 Pairs Of Legs, Blue Blood & 10 Claws
#111
The Ancient One: The Coelacanth
#113
Huge Underwater Statue In The Bahamas
#114
The Pacific Blackdragon
#115
A Sturgeon That Lives Behind My House. Around 6 Feet Long
WordWeaver 4 years ago
Water quality looks good. He deserves his/her life to be left in peace..
#116
Constant Vigilance
#117
A Moray Eel With A Disfigured Face Resides In An Aquarium. That Or This Creature Is A Lovecraftian God
#118
A Thresher Shark Is In Solitude. Its Tail Is Almost Its Body Length
#119
The Fangtooth Moray Has A Mouthful Of Semi-Transparent Teeth That Looks Like Glass
#120
A Dolphin In An Aquarium Window
#121
Rare Sighting Of The Megamouth Shark, Reaching Up To 18 Feet In Length And 2,700 Pounds With A Mouth Measuring 4.3 Feet In Width. This Shark Can Have Up To 50 Rows Of Teeth In Its Upper-Jaw And 75 Rows Of Teeth In Its Lower-Jaw
#122
Mobula Ray Migration In The Sea Of Cortez
#123
The Sailfish, Commonly Regarded As The Fastest Fish In The World. It Exceeds 110 Kilometres Per Hour. Another Candidate Is The Black Marlin
#124
A Portuguese Man O' War Found Washed Up At Galvestonis East Beach
Ranger Kanootsen 4 years ago
I've found quite a few on beaches. Once I see even a single one, I'm not swimming at all lol
#126
Spotted This Huge Jellyfish At A Promenade In Venice
#127
A River Dolphin’s Face. Its Eyes Have Degraded To The Point Of Blindness, But It Utilizes Echolocation To Find Its Prey
#128
A Big Nope!
Nicola Roberts 4 years ago (edited)
It's real, he's a sand tiger shark in the dubai aquarium. He's there because he has a broken upper(?) Jaw. ----> Reddit -sounds legit.
#129
Fish Swimming In The Wake Of A Pelagic Jellyfish
#130
Can Anyone Help Identify This?
#131
A Colossal Squid Beak. The Colossal Squid Is The Heaviest Invertebrate Alive, And It Uses The Beak To Defend Itself And Gouge Out Flesh
#132
The Indo-Pacific Sailfish, Considered By Many Scientists To Be The Fastest Fish In The Ocean
#133
Scarry
Rick Hoppenbrouwer 4 years ago
Had a friend who had a Blue Whale breach right next to her kayak. Her world became very different after that.
#134
A Giant Squid We Pulled Up In Our Nets
#135
Japanese Spider Crab. Their Legs Can Be Up To 12 Feet Long
#136
Alligator Gars Are Massive Apex Predators Of Freshwater Areas. Their Fossil Traces Back To The Cretaceous Era, True Primal Beasts. Just Imagine Feeling The Hide Scaly Hide Of That Thing
WordWeaver 4 years ago
Put it back if it is still alive. Environments suffer if you remove the apex predators.
#137
When Something From The Depths Below Makes It's Way Onto Land
#138
Abandoned Underwater Restaurant
#139
I Made A Friend Who Wants To Be A Great White Shark Diver, And Says Things Like He Is Already Committed To Sacrificing His Left Arm As A Last Resort. Most Of The Pictures He Posts On His Feed Are Worthy Of This Sub
Add New Image
What do you think ?
New Prometheus 4 years ago
Omg horrible title, please fix it!! These beautiful creatures need respect!
Mara Is Non-binary 🇺🇦 4 years ago
i have had a fixation on marine biology since i was little, so i can say this post gives me much serotonin
Who Panda 420 4 years ago
I was talked out of going into marine biology by a career counselor at my high school. I lived in Florida and she said there were already too many who couldn't get jobs. Kinda regret listening.
Load More Replies...
Curry on... 4 years ago
I'd like to think that humans will be satisfied with photos only, but I expect some to resort to capturing and marketing these creatures to extinction.
Ranger Kanootsen 4 years ago (edited)
Dear pandas, Stop down voting our comments just because we express fear of the ocean and its animals. It's a very common fear, and you guys shouldn't be kicking us off the website just because you disagree. Just because we fear them, doesn't mean we hate them, OK?
Tyler Hernadi 4 years ago
I love looking at these pictures but the title NEEDS to be changed. Water is BEAUTIFUL and CRITICAL to ALL LIFE ON EARTH!!!
Deb McCormick 4 years ago
I did apologize, I didn't know it was a penalty. I might not have done it to you but have done it to others.
the chicken marmalade 4 years ago
It's just an amazing sight. Logically, you can live underwater, but imagine getting to wake up every day and see something as amazing and unique as that? It just makes you see how cool the world is.
Christina Webster 4 years ago
Haha, Pandas! I love when you turn an incorrect/bad title on its head:) Keep upvoting our sea treasures!
New Prometheus 4 years ago
Omg horrible title, please fix it!! These beautiful creatures need respect!
Mara Is Non-binary 🇺🇦 4 years ago
i have had a fixation on marine biology since i was little, so i can say this post gives me much serotonin
Who Panda 420 4 years ago
I was talked out of going into marine biology by a career counselor at my high school. I lived in Florida and she said there were already too many who couldn't get jobs. Kinda regret listening.
Load More Replies... Curry on... 4 years ago
I'd like to think that humans will be satisfied with photos only, but I expect some to resort to capturing and marketing these creatures to extinction.
Ranger Kanootsen 4 years ago (edited)
Dear pandas, Stop down voting our comments just because we express fear of the ocean and its animals. It's a very common fear, and you guys shouldn't be kicking us off the website just because you disagree. Just because we fear them, doesn't mean we hate them, OK?
Tyler Hernadi 4 years ago
I love looking at these pictures but the title NEEDS to be changed. Water is BEAUTIFUL and CRITICAL to ALL LIFE ON EARTH!!!
Deb McCormick 4 years ago
I did apologize, I didn't know it was a penalty. I might not have done it to you but have done it to others.
the chicken marmalade 4 years ago
It's just an amazing sight. Logically, you can live underwater, but imagine getting to wake up every day and see something as amazing and unique as that? It just makes you see how cool the world is.
Christina Webster 4 years ago
Haha, Pandas! I love when you turn an incorrect/bad title on its head:) Keep upvoting our sea treasures!
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