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| Humpback whale { Megaptera novaeangliae } |
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| Humpback whales are among the largest marine mammals, growing up to 16 metres long. They move all over the world's oceans, feeding on plankton and singing to one another. They can live for up to 50 years and after death can be a major marine food source. |
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| Velvet belly lantern shark { Etmopterus spinax } |
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| The Velvet belly is distinguished by the bioluminescent photophores which can be seen on the underside of the shark. This show of bioluminescence can act as camouflage when the shark is hunting it's prey. The shark only grows to a maxiumun of 60cm and can be found in depths of up to 2,500m. |
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| Bluntnose sixgill shark { Hexanchus griseus } |
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| Sometimes called the 'Cow shark' because of its stocky build, this shark can grow up to a massive 550cm. The shark is usually fairly sluggish by nature but it is still capable of moving very fast. Many of the shark's relatives date back 200 million years with the closest living species genetically being the dogfish, greenland shark and other six/sevengilled sharks. Like many deep-sea creatures the shark is known to undertake nightly vertical migrations in which it will travel to the surface at night then return to the depths before dawn. |
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| Brittle star { Ophiophthalmus normani } |
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| Brittle stars are distantly related to starfish and tend to be bottom feeding scavengers. This species is extremely common on the deep sea floor, and at the whale fall would eat small pieces of meat that are dropped to the sea floor by other fish. They walk along the sea floor using their five arms. They are not bioluminescent, and while they do not have eyes as such, they have the ability to sense light and this could perhaps be one way they are attracted to whale falls. |
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| Shrimp { Acanthephyra purpurea } |
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| This shrimp is about 10cm long and red in colour. Red animals are all but invisible in the deep sea, where any available light is blue. They usually feed on plankton and other tiny animals, but when dead food becomes available they will also scavenge. They swim through the water using their legs to paddle. They have an interesting escape mechanism if attacked by a predator - they will eject glowing green-blue liquid into the water to distract or confuse the other animal and then make their getaway. |
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| Helmet jellyfish { Periphylla periphylla } |
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| This species is about 32cm long, not including tentacles. It has 12 stinging tentacles and can vary in colour from delicate pinks and oranges to a deep blood red. It feeds on smaller marine animals such as crustaceans and small fish. Bioluminescence consists of localised flashes, and waves of light across the mantle. Also emits glowing particles from the edges. |
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| Shiny loosejaw fish { Aristostomias lunifer } |
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| These fish are unusual among bioluminescent sealife as they produce red light, which they use to see by without being seen – most other animals underwater cannot see red light. They are about 17cm long, and they prey on smaller fish and crustaceans. |
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| Ostrocods { Vargula norvegica } |
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| Ostracods are minute crustaceans which often occur in enormous numbers in every aquatic environment including the deep oceans, salt lakes, freshwater, estuaries, lagoons, hot springs and even damp terrestrial environments. We have observed this species of Ostracod to produce an extensive cloud of luminescence that glowed for about a minute. It has been suggested that the luminous secretion startles and temporarily blinds predators. |
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| Kaup's arrowtooth eel { Synaphobranchus kaupii } |
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| This is a deep water eel which scavenges in large numbers. These eels often cause the defensive luminescent display from the Ostracods, giving them a presence in the darkness even though the eel itself has no luminescent capabilities. The eel can reach a maximum size of 100cm and can be found at a depth range of 120-4800m. Colouration is black to brown with a lighter edge on the vertical fins. |
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| Bloodybelly comb jelly { Lampocteis cruentiventer } |
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| As with the shrimp, the red colour of this comb jelly helps to camouflage it. The body is mainly translucent, while the stomach is opaque to disguise the glow from animals it has eaten. It swims by moving thousands of tiny hairs which act as paddles. Seen under a bright light, these refract the light into brilliant rainbow patterns. It feeds on other smaller animals by trailing its tentacles in the water – when they touch the prey, they shoot sticky cells onto it and the tentacle is retracted into the jelly. It is about 12cm long. |
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| Gulper eel { Eurypharynx pelecanoides } |
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| The Gulper Eel is a long, huge-jawed bony fish that lives at depths of 1500 to 2750 m. This eel is found in all oceans in warm temperate and tropical waters. The Gulper Eel is not much more than a set of huge, weak jaws with a very long stomach. Its body is not very muscular. The Gulper is about 2 feet (0.6 m) long on average. It has tiny eyes and a small, reddish light at the tip of the tail. It gets its prey by acting like a living net, swimming onto the prey with a large, open mouth. It can eat prey that is larger than itself, but generally doesn't. |
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| Abyssal grenadier { Coryphaenoides armatus } |
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| This fish is found in all the world's oceans at depths between 800 and 4,000 metres. It feeds on a variety of benthic invertebrates when young, switching to a diet of fish, sea urchins and cephalopods as it matures, growing up to a length of 40cm. |
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| Common mora { Mora moro } |
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| A relative of the cod, the common mora is found in temperate oceans at a depth of 450-2,500 metres. It feeds on small fish, crustaceans and other invertebrates, as well as any other detritus it comes across. |
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| Background |
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| We tried to create a busy and convincing background with plenty of visual variety. Species shown include the sponge Atlantisella and the glass sponge Euplectella aspergillium. |
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