There are many strange creatures that live in the ocean that may defy belief. Some are simply unclassifiable. Here are some of the more common interesting sea creatures. At the end of this page there will be websites and other resources where you can learn about different species not shown here.
Table Of Contents:
( 1 ) Leafy Sea Dragon
( 2 ) Mola Mola
( 3 ) Texas Blind Salamander
Leafy Sea Dragon
The Leafy Sea Dragon
The Phycodurus Eques
More about the mysterious fish
Appearance
The Leafy Sea Dragon comes in a variety of colours ranging from green to yellow to brown to red. It has leafy fronds protruding from its body that camoflauge it in its enviroment. The Phycodurus Eques is most related to the Sea Horse in its body structure. The tail of a male will turn bright yellow when he is ready to mate. The Leafy Sea Dragon is small and when full grown it can range from 14 inches to 18 inches. (35 centimeters to 45 centimeters) Although they can grow that large most are much smaller. The average size of the Leafy Sea Dragons are shown on the right.
Meet the Family:
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Chordata
Class
Actniopterygii
Order
Syngnathiformes
Family
Syngnathidae
Genus
Phycoduru
Species
P. eques
The Leafy Sea Dragon is the only species in Genus Phycoduru. It's closely related to the Pipefish and Seahorse. There is also a Weedy Sea Dragon. They are both very closely related but there are various genetic differences that identify that they are not the same.
Interesting Facts:
When it comes to mating the one that gives birth is the male. The female gives the male the fertilized egg for him to give birth.
Leafy Sea Dragons do not have teeth unlike most creatures who eat shrimp.
Uninteresting Fact: The leafy fronds on a Leafy Sea Dragon do nothing. Sorry to disappoint you.
When a Leafy Sea Dragon wants to hide it curls up into a small ball.
Mola Mola are giant, flat fish. They are the heaviest bony fish in the world. They are called sunfish because they are seen floating at the top of the water and "basking in the sun". They are much longer than they are wide and are larger than a human by at least two times. They are a silvery colour like most stereotypical fish. They are most pictured as a large head of a fish with a tail. When swimming up right and close to the water their dorsale fin is usually mistaken for a shark. The Mola Mola all though silver and boring at first glance have intericate patterns on them that vary from a mixture of polka dots to stripes. (this picture was taken from here)
Meet the Family:
Kindom
Animilia
Phylum
Chordata
Class
Osteichthyses
Order
Tetraodontiformes
Family
Molidae
Genus
Mola
Species
M. Mola
Mola Mola, Ocean Sunfish, or Common Mola is all the same species. They are nicknamed Common Mola because they are the most common and Ocean Sunfish because they are always seen basking in the sun. The Common Mola is one out of three Molas. The Sharp-tailed Mola and Slender Mola. The Slender Mola is much smaller than the other molas and can reach only a couple of feet. The Sharp-tailed Mola can also reach great sizes but its tail is, as implied, sharper and skinnier.
Interesting Facts:
Mola Mola are seen as a delicacy of foods to some people and are hunted down and served to people
When a medium or small boat crashes into a Mola Mola the small boat is usually the one who gets more damage
Females lay the most eggs out of all vertebrates
Baby Sunfish grow tens of millions times of their before they are fully grown
Little is known about the Texas Blind Salamander except its striking appearance. Its an extremely specialized cave dweller. It's usually very dark in the caves so eyes are unneccessary, so after generations of Eurycea Rathbuni development eyes disappeared. Although its eyes are gone there are imprints of what used to be places where eyes where. The Texas Blind Salamander has coral shaped girls protruding from its head that look almost like red horns. The Texas Blind Salamander is a ghostly white and is semi-transparent. It has short limbs and a flattened snout. The Texas Blind Salamander's skeleton can be seen to the right. (This image was taken from here.)
Meet the Family:
Domain
Animalia
Phylum
Chordata
Class
Amphibia
Order
Caudata
Family
Plethodontidae
Genus
Eurycea
Species
E. rathbuni
Very little is known about the Texas Blind Salamander. It isn't known to be closely related to anybody. It's an extremely specialized and isolated creature so any relationships are invisable to researchers.
Interesting Facts:
The female is the one to attract the male, in most species the male attracts the female
Eurycea Rathbuni is found in only one place in the whole world.
Texas Blind Salamanders can live without food for a very long time
Since very little is known about the Texas Blind Salamander at this current time so this page is pretty blank.
This page is just an overview of a few interesting underwater creatures. There are many other creatures out there that are strange and unlisted. Some creatures haven't even been discovered or proven to exist.
Other Websites To Find Out About Strange Creatures:
Taken from here
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