Dive into the Deep Sea
Tap on the + sign to read some fun facts about each animal in this print. Follow the links to fascinating videos. Or scroll tothe end to find sources to learn more Thank you for choosing my art and I hope you enjoy this extra content :). I am no expert on the topic just someone that got very very nerdy about it and found lots of cool and interesting facts and sources :) Enjoy!
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In my quick research, I discovered that there are more than 200 species of angler fishes all using light lures to attract prey. The lure is a little sac full of glowing bacteria and each species has its own unique rod, with some species having more than one! Having a light to attract prey is very energy efficient in the vastness of the deep sea where food is scarce and distances are vast. Check this out: BLACK SEA DEVIL IN MONTEREY BAY .
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The Monterey Bay Aquarium has managed to have live Japanese Spider crabs in their Deep Sea Exhibit and I was so in awe when I visited. These creatures are big! Its legs can span up to 12 feet (3.8 meters) from claw to claw. Gigantism happens to some but not all animals of the Abyss. It is theorized that gigantism might be related to food scarcity that delays maturity and allows more time to grow or to the effects of high pressure. The more you know! I must say that seeing the Spider Crab at the Aquarium I was conflicted, I wanted it free in the deep and at the same time, I could see the educational and ocean-loving disseminating effect these exhibits can have… Spider Crab footage HERE
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My dear friends, here is another fascinating creature. Food is hard to find in the vast ocean and most animals thriving in the deep have developed ways to find– and not to become–food. For the Whiptail Eel, this development is the ability to open its mouth really wide and eat things that are larger than themselves! Wanna see another type of gulper eel in one really fun and surprising video? Of course you do, click HERE
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Also known as Black Sea Dragon, this is a fish that can be found at depths between 500m (1600 ft) and 2000m (6600 ft). One of the very fascinating facts about this creature is that its skin absorbs 99.95% of light’s wavelengths which makes them mostly invisible! Scientists have called this “ultra-black” and it allows the Pacific Blackgdragon to lure its prey with its bioluminescent esca without illuminating its face and teeth, which would scare them away! Check THIS
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You probably know this already but I didn’t before I started this deep sea journey of mine: Chambered Nautiluses are a direct link to the past, they have been around this earth for over 480 million years, even before the dinosaurs! Another fascinating fact about these creatures is the way they “swim” by pumping and sucking water in and out of its shell chambers. Check out this amazing creature HERE . Chambered Nautiluses are in the endangered species list due to overfishing for its pearly shell. Use the “See something say something” against the use of the nautiluses shells!
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I know this fish is not traditionally pretty (it is also known as the “ogre” fish, the poor thing) but I was more than fascinated by the patterns in the skin and face and it was a pleasure to draw. To me, it is as if this fish has painted its body like a warrior of old! In reality, the lateral line with dots that so beautifully decorates its body is a series of sensors that indicate changes in the water around it and movement. A useful tool in the dark sea! Want to see what I am rambling about? HEREs://www.mbari.org/animal/fangtooth/
And, of course, in the middle of the print…
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Giant Squids have the biggest eyes in the animal kingdom (1 foot, or 30 cm in diameter). These dinner-plate eyes allow the squid to capture bioluminescent light better than creatures with smaller eyes and, thus, to feed better too. The biggest Giant SqHEREuid ever recorded was 43 feet (13 meters) long and weighed a ton. Despite the fact that the giant squid is, well, giant and that hundreds of thousands of sperm whales eat giant squids weekly, giant squids are rarely seen and have only been captured on video, alive, a handful of times after many many years of efforts. Wanna see one of these rare videos of a life Giant Squid? Look no further: HERE
REFERENCES AND RECOMMENDED SOURCES
If you only read one book, let it be this one:
Hoyt, E. (2021). Creatures of the Deep. In Search of the Sea’s Monsters and the World they Live in. Updated third edition. Buffalo, NY: Firefly Books. LINK HERE This book is fascinating, easy to get into, full of really interesting information and pictures. A wonderful introduction to the deep sea by a very knowledgeable source.
More time for books? What about these:
Scales, H. (2021) The Brilliant Abyss. Exploring the Majestic Hidden Life of the Deep Ocean, and the Looming Threat That Imperils It. Find it HERE
Widder, E. (2021). Below the Edge of Darkness. A Memoir of Exploring Light and Life in the Deep Sea. Find it HERE
The internet is your friend: Videos and sources for you (in no particular order)
The Monterey Bay Area Research Institute (MBARI), posts constant footage of the rare and amazing creatures of the deep that they encounter right out of the California Coast. There is a deep trench in Monterey Bay and their discoveries are fascinating. Link: https://www.instagram.com/mbari_news/
Glowing life in an underwater world, a fascinating TED Talk by Edith Widder. “Some 80 to 90 percent of undersea creatures make light -- and we know very little about how or why. Bioluminescence expert Edith Widder explores this glowing, sparkling, luminous world, sharing glorious images and insight into the unseen depths (and brights) of the ocean.” Find it here https://www.ted.com/talks/edith_widder_glowing_life_in_an_underwater_world?language=en
Giant Squid Video: By the way, Edith Widder (the author I just mentioned above) was among the team that filmed the giant squid (Architeuthis) for the first time alive and well in the ocean, see it here: https://www.ted.com/talks/edith_widder_how_we_found_the_giant_squid
Nautilus Live | Ocean Exploration Trust. Check out the short clips they post on Instagram, their livestreams from the ocean floor or explore their website. The Nautilus is a 68-meter research vessel equipped with remotely-operated vehicles (ROVs). The Nautilus brings scientists, students and educators and does a wonderful job at disseminating their adventures. Check them out! Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/nautiluslive/ Website: https://nautiluslive.org/
The Deep Ocean Education Project is a resource hub that provides access to ocean exploration-based learning for educators, students, and anyone else interested in learning more about our deep ocean. NOAA Ocean Exploration, Ocean Exploration Trust (OET), and Schmidt Ocean Institute (SOI) are collaborating to share highlights of each organization’s education materials, videos, and other information about the deep ocean in one location. Website: https://deepoceaneducation.org/explore-resources/
“List of giant squid specimens and sightings” This is a really fascinating and extremely well documented wikipedia article, check it out! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_giant_squid_
specimens_and_sightings . Add on: “List of giant squid specimens and sightings (2015–present)” A list of video documentation of giant squids https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_giant_squid_specimens_and_sightings_(2015%E2%80%93present)#637
