Bright Side
  • last year
Animation is created by Bright Side.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Music from TheSoul Sound: https://thesoul-sound.com/

Check our Bright Side podcast on Spotify and leave a positive review! https://open.spotify.com/show/0hUkPxD34jRLrMrJux4VxV

Subscribe to Bright Side: https://goo.gl/rQTJZz
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Our Social Media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brightside
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brightside.official
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@brightside.official?lang=en

Stock materials (photos, footages and other):
https://www.depositphotos.com
https://www.shutterstock.com
https://www.eastnews.ru
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For more videos and articles visit:
http://www.brightside.me
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This video is made for entertainment purposes. We do not make any warranties about the completeness, safety and reliability. Any action you take upon the information in this video is strictly at your own risk, and we will not be liable for any damages or losses. It is the viewer's responsibility to use judgement, care and precaution if you plan to replicate.

Category

😹
Fun
Transcript
00:00:00 Welcome to another fight of the century!
00:00:04 The first participant enters the ring.
00:00:06 It's the Megalodon.
00:00:08 This shark lived 23 to 3 million years ago, and right now it holds the title of the ultimate
00:00:15 hunter of all times.
00:00:17 The second fighter is in the ring, and it's the Dunkleosteus.
00:00:21 It lived around 350 to 380 million years ago and was the largest fish of that time.
00:00:29 These creatures swam all over the world and aroused fear with their armored heads and
00:00:34 mighty jaws.
00:00:35 We're going to compare our fighters in several categories.
00:00:39 In each of them, the winner will get one point.
00:00:41 In the final round, these two sea monsters will face each other for the last time, and
00:00:47 we'll find out who the real king of the sea world is.
00:00:51 Grab your popcorn and hot dogs, it's time for round one – size!
00:00:57 These days, the largest white sharks grow to be 20 feet long.
00:01:01 The Megalodon was more than twice that size – up to 50 feet.
00:01:05 That's almost as long as a tennis court!
00:01:08 The ancient shark's single fin was larger than the average person.
00:01:13 The shark's jaws were more than 6 feet wide.
00:01:16 It would mean you could comfortably sprawl out inside the creature's mouth.
00:01:21 At the same time, you wouldn't want to get anywhere near a shark the size of a big truck.
00:01:27 Even the Meg might've been even bigger!
00:01:30 The only remains of the ancient shark are its teeth and vertebrae.
00:01:34 That's why scientists can only guess what its true size was.
00:01:39 Now to the next fighter!
00:01:41 Some species of Dunkleosteus were only 3 feet long, but the largest ones could reach almost
00:01:47 29 feet.
00:01:49 This scuba-sized fish was one of the largest of its time and much bigger than many modern
00:01:55 sharks.
00:01:56 The Megalodon is almost twice its size, so in this round, the Meg gets its first point
00:02:03 and opens the score 1-0.
00:02:06 Moving on to the next category, and that's weight.
00:02:09 Wait, what are we waiting for?
00:02:12 Oh, you mean weight!
00:02:14 The largest white shark can weigh as much as a small car.
00:02:18 In this case, the Meg might be compared to two loaded cement trucks – 60 tons!
00:02:24 An empty Boeing 737 weighs less than the ancient super shark did.
00:02:29 If you wanted to lift the Meg in the air, it would take as many as three CH-54 cargo
00:02:35 helicopters.
00:02:36 The heaviest part of the Dunkleosteus was its head because of its massive bones, and
00:02:42 its length could be more than 1 foot.
00:02:45 The ancient fish weighed almost as much as an adult elephant.
00:02:48 It was also 4 times heavier than most modern sharks with a total weight of 4 tons.
00:02:55 And still, the Megalodon is more than 10 times heavier than the Dunkleosteus.
00:03:01 Another clear victory in this round!
00:03:03 2-0!
00:03:04 The next category is agility.
00:03:08 How about a treadmill test for the Meg?
00:03:11 Its top speed was 11 mph.
00:03:14 It seems rather low, but no wonder.
00:03:16 It was hard for the shark to move its body huge and bulky.
00:03:21 For comparison, much smaller modern white sharks can travel at 34 mph.
00:03:26 The fastest human can swim at almost 5 mph, which means people wouldn't be able to escape
00:03:33 from the Megalodon in the water.
00:03:35 But the ancient shark had trouble turning.
00:03:38 Its mobility could be compared to a large cargo plane in the sky.
00:03:43 The Dunkleosteus, with all that heavy armor on its head, had perfect protection from all
00:03:49 kinds of enemies.
00:03:50 That's why it didn't need to be a good swimmer to get away from danger.
00:03:55 Besides, it was the biggest fish in the ocean, meaning it had nothing to be afraid of.
00:04:01 Still, the creature was smaller than the Meg.
00:04:04 Its relatively compact size, plus agile lower fins and strong tail made the Dunkleosteus
00:04:11 speedier than the ancient shark.
00:04:14 So in this round, Dun gets its first point.
00:04:17 The score is 2-1 in favor of the Megalodon.
00:04:21 Let's move on.
00:04:23 Now we'll see what our participants can use to fight each other.
00:04:28 Round 4.
00:04:29 Fighting Tools The Meg's teeth were almost as long as your
00:04:33 forearm, some of the largest teeth that ever existed.
00:04:37 They were triangular in shape and razor sharp, to pierce through whales' thick skin.
00:04:43 The shark had 5 rows of teeth, with around 50 teeth in each row.
00:04:48 250 in total.
00:04:49 Do the math!
00:04:51 The Meg also had its teeth changed throughout its life.
00:04:55 Researchers still find the ancient shark's teeth at the bottom of the ocean.
00:04:59 The Dunkleosteus had no teeth whatsoever.
00:05:03 Its jaws were formed from long bony plates.
00:05:06 They were incredibly sharp and shaped into long slicing edges.
00:05:11 The coolest thing was that these edges could self-sharpen.
00:05:15 The fish's jaw muscles were incredibly strong.
00:05:18 They allowed the creature to open its mouth in 20 milliseconds.
00:05:22 Time it!
00:05:23 With a jaw like that, Dun had one of the most powerful bites on Earth.
00:05:28 Its strength can be compared to that of the Mississippian alligator.
00:05:32 For its surprisingly hefty bite, Dunkleosteus gets another point.
00:05:38 The score becomes tied at 2 to 2.
00:05:41 Now let's see which of our contestants is more popular.
00:05:46 The Meg is the most famous shark in the world.
00:05:49 It's appeared not only in many movies and comics, but also in fisher stories all over
00:05:54 this planet.
00:05:56 Every time someone saw a large shadow lurking near their boat, they were afraid they'd
00:06:01 see the biggest shark on Earth.
00:06:04 Some people think that megalodons are still alive.
00:06:07 They're simply hiding somewhere deep under the surface, for example, in the Mariana Trench.
00:06:13 But to feed such a large body, the shark would have to eat constantly, like me.
00:06:19 And if this myth was true, you'd definitely see a megalodon close to the surface one day.
00:06:25 But it's never happened, so you can sleep easy.
00:06:30 Even though the Dunkleosteus isn't that well-known, it still deserves respect.
00:06:36 It lived earlier than the first dinosaurs and was the largest predator of its time.
00:06:41 When archaeologists first found the remains of the Dunkleosteus, they were shocked.
00:06:46 They called the creature the "terrible fish" and only gave it a scientific name years later.
00:06:53 Well, even though this round doesn't change the count, the megalodon gets its People's
00:06:58 Choice Award.
00:07:00 And now, the final stage – fighting skills!
00:07:05 The megalodon has the title of one of the best hunters ever.
00:07:09 Scientists have been able to figure out the ancient sharks' hunting tactics.
00:07:13 They learned that these creatures somehow knew where their opponents' vulnerable spots
00:07:18 were.
00:07:19 They hit vital organs and were quick to disable their enemies.
00:07:24 Sometimes these ancient sharks would also aim at the fins of larger sea creatures to
00:07:28 immobilize them.
00:07:30 It left the bigger opponents defenseless and unprotected.
00:07:35 Another tactic the Meg used was a battering ram approach.
00:07:38 The massive shark would crash into a whale, leaving it with no chance to escape.
00:07:44 In other words, intellect and strategy were the megalodon's most important skills.
00:07:50 At that time, the Meg was the largest shark in the world.
00:07:54 But in the oceans, there were creatures much larger than that.
00:07:58 For example, whales.
00:08:00 And the Meg didn't always have the courage to charge them.
00:08:04 As for the Dunkleosteus, its trump card was its powerful jaws.
00:08:09 Usually the fish would swim toward a smaller animal.
00:08:12 Then, in a split second, it would open its huge mouth.
00:08:17 And the future meal would be pulled inside along with water.
00:08:21 As the creature matured, its jaw shape changed.
00:08:24 That's why, after being born, it could feed only on large soft fish.
00:08:30 But as it aged, it got the ability to bite through tougher stuff.
00:08:35 And later in life, the Dunkleosteus began to munch on sea creatures with hard shells.
00:08:41 Or basically any sea animal that existed at that time.
00:08:45 Anyway, it's up to you to decide who gets the point this time.
00:08:50 Do you hear the sound of the gong?
00:08:53 It means it's time for our sea monsters to meet face to face.
00:08:57 They run into each other in the vast waters of the ocean.
00:09:00 The Megalodon is the first to notice its opponent.
00:09:04 The shark wants to use its battering ram approach against the Dunkleosteus' powerful armor.
00:09:10 So it begins to speed up.
00:09:13 But Dun dodges and avoids the collision.
00:09:16 As the Meg turns around, the Dunkleosteus gets a chance to grab the shark by the tail.
00:09:22 In a split second, its powerful jaws close on the shark's fin.
00:09:27 But the fish's bony plates are too short to bite through the Meg's thick skin.
00:09:32 The Megalodon begins to twist and wag its powerful tail to throw the Dunkleosteus off
00:09:38 its body.
00:09:39 It looks like a rodeo.
00:09:41 Dun gets a powerful slap and is left stunned for a moment.
00:09:45 The Megalodon uses this time to turn around.
00:09:48 A couple of seconds later, the massive shark opens its huge jaw and ends the fight with
00:09:54 one bite.
00:09:56 So today, the Megalodon proves once again that it's worthy of its title as the best
00:10:02 hunter of the Sea World.
00:10:04 The ancient shark continues its wanderings in search of a stronger opponent.
00:10:10 Stay tuned!
00:10:11 In the past 30 years, scientists have made an incredible discovery of a new creature
00:10:16 living deep beneath the surface of the ocean.
00:10:19 And the name of the creature is the Harp Sponge.
00:10:22 Now if you're wondering why it took so long to come across this animal, then I might
00:10:26 have the answer.
00:10:27 These creatures typically hang out at a depth of roughly 11,100 feet beneath the ocean's
00:10:33 waves.
00:10:34 This sponge species was first discovered off the coast of California thanks to a robot
00:10:39 that was sturdy enough to explore those crazy depths the ocean has to offer.
00:10:44 This is no doubt an area of the planet where even the most benign-looking creatures can
00:10:49 be potentially dangerous.
00:10:51 But even scientists were surprised to find that this creature was more than just a sponge.
00:10:56 Now this might seem obvious, but the Harp Sponge got its name because its basic structure,
00:11:02 referred to as a vein, is the same shape as a harp.
00:11:06 Each vein is made up of a horizontal branch supporting several parallel vertical branches.
00:11:11 Don't let the Harp Sponge's fanciful and amusing appearance or its non-intimidating
00:11:16 name fool you.
00:11:18 The Harp Sponge is very much a deep-sea hunter.
00:11:21 It has a unique ability to capture and envelop small animals using its rhizoids – short,
00:11:27 thin fibers.
00:11:29 With their help, the Harp Sponge clings on to the soft, muddy bottom and catches tiny
00:11:34 creatures that get swept into its branches by deep-sea currents.
00:11:39 Other sponge creatures often feed by pulling bacteria and bits of organic matter from the
00:11:43 seawater and filtering them through their bodies.
00:11:47 But not our Harp Sponge.
00:11:49 Instead, it snatches its future meal with miniscule barbed hooks that cover each of
00:11:54 the Harp Sponge's branches.
00:11:57 Harp Sponges prefer tiny crustaceans, like crabs, crayfish, shrimps, and prawns.
00:12:03 Once the Harp Sponge has one of them in its clutches, it envelops the animal in a thin
00:12:07 membrane before slowly beginning to digest it.
00:12:11 So pal, what's eating you?
00:12:13 Oh, Harpo?
00:12:14 Too bad.
00:12:16 Researchers believe that Harp Sponges use this method of feeding because there aren't
00:12:20 enough nutrients that deep down.
00:12:22 This makes traditional filter feeding less effective.
00:12:26 Research has shown that the creature is still in the process of evolving.
00:12:30 Early Harp Sponges, researchers found, only had two veins.
00:12:34 And later, scientists discovered other Harp Sponges that had six veins.
00:12:38 The Harp Sponge might've evolved this elaborate candle-holder-like structure to increase its
00:12:43 surface area.
00:12:45 In general, Harp Sponges typically grow up to a length of one foot, but researchers have
00:12:50 seen a creature that was 2 feet in length.
00:12:52 The Harp Sponge is not only very unusual, but also beautiful to look at.
00:12:58 See those tiny white balls on top of the branches?
00:13:01 Now why don't we look at some other creatures that live below the photic zone of Earth's
00:13:05 oceans?
00:13:06 The photic zone means the area beneath the ocean's surface that still receives some
00:13:11 sunlight.
00:13:12 Thanks to this, there are loads of different creatures and organisms living there.
00:13:16 Any animal living beyond this layer qualifies as a deep-sea creature.
00:13:21 The Tomopterous worm is a segmented worm you can find in the twilight zone of the ocean.
00:13:26 This is the area that lies between 650 and 3,300 feet beneath the surface.
00:13:32 These creatures are often no more than 1 inch long, but the largest of them can grow up
00:13:37 to 1 foot.
00:13:38 While swimming around and feeding, these worms do what researchers describe as an amazing
00:13:43 smooth dance.
00:13:45 That's because the creatures can swim extremely quickly and maneuver at tight angles with
00:13:50 ease.
00:13:51 Now, I know most people hear the word "worm" and think of the common earthworm, so it's
00:13:56 quite interesting to know there's a deep-sea worm out there that never leaves the water
00:14:01 during its entire life.
00:14:03 Similarly, most of us try to avoid jellyfish that either rest on the sand or sit on top
00:14:08 of the ocean waves.
00:14:09 This isn't the case with a Cressoda jelly.
00:14:12 That's a deep-sea creature too.
00:14:14 This beautiful jellyfish is mostly ruby red, bright orange, or electric purple.
00:14:19 That's what helped researchers realize they had found a new species of jellyfish.
00:14:25 The creature grows to a maximum size of 1 inch across.
00:14:28 It has tentacles that stretch out in every direction.
00:14:31 Now, if you come close to this jellyfish, it'll pull all these tentacles in toward
00:14:36 its body before rapidly swimming away to avoid danger.
00:14:40 Yes, you are dangerous.
00:14:42 The Cressoda jelly is extremely rare, you won't see it very often.
00:14:46 You might need to borrow that deep-sea diving robot I mentioned earlier.
00:14:50 While worms and jellyfish might seem quite harmless, this isn't the case with the Pacific
00:14:55 viperfish.
00:14:57 This creature is equipped with a noticeably big mouth, like me.
00:15:01 And the needle-like teeth inside are key to its hunting strategy.
00:15:06 Pacific viperfish live at around 5,000 feet below the ocean surface.
00:15:10 But they're among those numerous marine animals that migrate each night from the ocean
00:15:15 depths toward shallower waters to dine.
00:15:18 What's on the menu for dinner tonight?
00:15:20 Hmm, lots of small fish and shrimp.
00:15:23 The creature can grow up to 12 inches in length.
00:15:26 Its two front fangs, which stick up from the fish's bottom jaw past its own eyes, are
00:15:31 especially dramatic.
00:15:33 When the fish unhinges its jaw, its mouth can open wide enough to engulf smaller animals.
00:15:39 And the teeth form a cage to prevent an escape.
00:15:42 Now, have you ever seen an underwater creature that looks like a strawberry?
00:15:46 Trust me, it does exist.
00:15:49 Just look at these dots on the strawberry squid.
00:15:52 The creature has a big eye and a smaller one.
00:15:55 You might think this unconventional pairing would be awkward and uncomfortable, but it's
00:15:59 actually the opposite.
00:16:01 The big left eye looks upward.
00:16:03 It spots shadows cast by other animals in the dimly lit waters above.
00:16:08 The eye's tupular shape helps it collect as much light as possible.
00:16:12 On the other side of the squid's head, you can see its right eye.
00:16:16 It's small and looks downward.
00:16:18 This eye searches for flashes of bioluminescence produced by animals lurking in the darker
00:16:23 waters below.
00:16:25 Bioluminescence means the production and emission of light by living organisms.
00:16:30 By the way, the squid has a nickname.
00:16:32 And no, it's not Squiggy.
00:16:34 Although that's a great one.
00:16:36 It's known as the cock-eyed squid.
00:16:38 This is simply due to the remarkable difference in size between its two eyes.
00:16:43 I think I like Squiggy better.
00:16:45 And so it goes.
00:16:47 Since light doesn't reach the deep sea, the strawberry squid's body actually looks
00:16:51 black.
00:16:52 This helps the creature hide from enemies, such as sharks and dolphins.
00:16:56 In general, the strawberry squid grows to a length of 5 inches.
00:17:00 It typically lives around 3,000 feet below the surface but floats to shallower waters
00:17:05 at night.
00:17:06 Now, the feather star is a marine creature without a backbone, but with feather-like
00:17:11 arms that radiate from the center of its body.
00:17:15 These creatures first appeared around 200 million years ago.
00:17:18 Related to sea stars, they look like a flower, but if you approach them, they'll quickly
00:17:24 swim away.
00:17:25 But not all feather stars can swim.
00:17:27 Many species can only crawl along the bottom of the sea floor.
00:17:31 Like some of the other deep sea creatures we've looked at, the feather star can adapt
00:17:35 to its surroundings.
00:17:37 It has a creepy ability to shed its arms.
00:17:40 The same way some lizards can shed their tails.
00:17:42 This also helps them escape from their enemies.
00:17:45 Feather stars live all across the globe, from the equator to the poles, from the shallow
00:17:50 waters on top of reefs to the deep, deep sea.
00:17:54 Given that we're dealing with mysterious creatures, the name of this one is quite fitting.
00:18:00 The swift vampire squid should be the official symbol of life in the deep sea.
00:18:05 The animal has a dark red body, huge blue eyes, and a cloak-like web that stretches
00:18:10 between its eight arms.
00:18:12 This, along with its name, may suggest that the creature is some form of a terrifying
00:18:18 hunter.
00:18:19 In reality, though, the vampire squid is a soft-bodied, timid creature, about the size,
00:18:24 shape, and color of a football.
00:18:26 It grows to roughly 12 inches in length and lives 3,000 feet below the waves.
00:18:31 There's almost no oxygen there, but also relatively few predators.
00:18:36 Oof, I think I'll need to decompress from this one.
00:18:41 Most of the ocean is still shrouded in mystery, whether we're talking about dark corners
00:18:46 or creatures that are hiding in the depths.
00:18:48 But sometimes, it gives us a peek into scary things it hides in its cold, dark depths.
00:18:54 Like, when you hear on the news that there are some deep sea creatures washed ashore
00:18:58 after a powerful storm once again.
00:19:01 Some just look weird, while others are real monsters that live at depths of more than
00:19:06 3,300 feet.
00:19:09 The coldest and deepest parts of the ocean have created one specific phenomenon called
00:19:14 gigantism.
00:19:15 So, sea spiders, squids, worms, and many other animals, mostly invertebrates or creatures
00:19:22 without backbones, they're all way bigger and scarier than the versions we see in the
00:19:27 more shallow areas.
00:19:29 In the Pacific depths, you can see a sea sponge as large as a minivan.
00:19:34 Or what about the colossal squid that lives in sub-Antarctic waters and is nearly 14 times
00:19:40 longer than the arrow squid, a type that mostly lives in New Zealand?
00:19:46 Researchers found many of these underwater monsters in the abyssal zone of the ocean.
00:19:50 Back in 2021, the researchers showed images of the giant phantom jelly.
00:19:56 It was at a depth of 3,200 feet.
00:19:58 Its tentacles were 33 feet long.
00:20:01 Wow, I wouldn't like to face that one on the beach.
00:20:05 It probably eats only small fish and plankton, but it can swim to depths of more than 21,900
00:20:11 feet.
00:20:13 And down there, this giant jelly doesn't have enough food.
00:20:17 How does it survive then?
00:20:19 Scientists haven't figured it out yet.
00:20:22 And there are even more questions related to the giant squid, the biggest one ever found.
00:20:28 This monster is 43 feet long with a weight of nearly a ton.
00:20:33 Imagine if those tentacles would grab your car or something like that.
00:20:37 They would smash it like it was a toy.
00:20:40 There's no light in the abyssal zone.
00:20:43 Sunrays just can't penetrate that deep.
00:20:45 So there's no algae or underwater plants there.
00:20:49 All animals mostly eat snow.
00:20:52 Marine snow is not like the regular one you build a snowman with.
00:20:56 It consists of any small flakes or remains that fall from the surface of the ocean.
00:21:02 Maybe even some leftovers that animals up there couldn't eat.
00:21:05 So it's not much.
00:21:07 But apparently, it's enough for very large creatures that hide deep down there, like
00:21:12 giant squids.
00:21:15 Squids that generally live at such depths don't bother going after their prey.
00:21:19 They just wait until the poor animal swims right up to their long tentacles and falls
00:21:23 into a trap.
00:21:25 It may not be the best method ever because not many animals will even swim into these
00:21:29 dark cold parts.
00:21:31 But it's the method that saves energy.
00:21:34 A giant squid eats only one ounce of fish daily, which is approximately 45 calories.
00:21:41 That's nearly 50 times fewer calories than an average person should eat per day.
00:21:46 So when a squid gets one fish, it saves it for a couple of days.
00:21:51 I hope giant squids won't get the idea to go to the surface and look for food when there's
00:21:55 not enough of it in the abyssal zone.
00:21:57 And I hope even more that giant Greenland sharks won't get that same idea.
00:22:03 You can find them at depths of up to 7,200 feet.
00:22:07 They're twice as slow as we usually walk.
00:22:10 They swim at a speed of 1.12 feet per second.
00:22:14 Their slowness is part of the energy-saving mechanism that creatures down there need to
00:22:18 survive.
00:22:19 But they can speed up in the form of short bursts when they need to catch prey.
00:22:24 But they kinda change their diet from predator to scavenger, considering their environment.
00:22:29 There will be more leftovers falling from the surface than animals to go after.
00:22:35 Greenland sharks grow just 0.4 inches per year, and they're mostly 20 feet long, which
00:22:41 means they live for a very long time, sometimes up to 400 years.
00:22:46 They also have a slow metabolism, and that's one of the main factors for their long life,
00:22:52 too.
00:22:53 Greenland sharks like to spend their time in cold waters.
00:22:57 They're adapted to that since their tissues have specific chemical compounds that prevent
00:23:01 the forming of ice crystals all over their body.
00:23:04 That means they have some sort of natural antifreeze.
00:23:09 So what makes them so big?
00:23:12 Scientists are still not sure, but some theories try to explain it.
00:23:16 There's this thing called Kluiber's rule that says bigger animals tend to be more efficient.
00:23:22 Just take a small fish and compare it to a whale, with a mass hundreds of times bigger.
00:23:27 The whale has a greater metabolism.
00:23:29 It conserves energy more efficiently and loses less of it to the surroundings through heat.
00:23:35 But moving on, bigger animals can ingest bigger prey.
00:23:40 They're more likely to go through tough issues in their environment or defend themselves
00:23:43 from predators going after them.
00:23:46 Also, the body gets bigger when temperatures are lower.
00:23:49 The Greenland shark is a perfect example.
00:23:52 So are giant sea spiders.
00:23:55 Sea spiders are generally common, and you find some very small ones at 0.04 inches.
00:24:01 But in deeper parts of the Antarctic, they become 3-foot-long giants.
00:24:06 They grow so big because the cold water has more oxygen.
00:24:10 That way, more of it diffuses into the animal's body, and that allows it to grow bigger.
00:24:15 Yeah, both as a creature and a nightmare.
00:24:19 And how about this giant tube worm?
00:24:21 Researchers found it accidentally while they were exploring the mysteries of the Pacific
00:24:25 Ocean floor.
00:24:26 They stumbled upon unusual hydrothermal vents.
00:24:30 Toxic heat is a thing that gets them going.
00:24:33 As water seeps down through faults or cracks in the rock, these vents change their direction.
00:24:38 When the water gets out of the vent, it's rich in different minerals and chemicals.
00:24:43 Most animals wouldn't survive being around this toxic soup of chemicals, but not these
00:24:48 tube worms.
00:24:54 They came as a true surprise, because not only are they not bothered by these toxic
00:24:59 vents and the almost boiling temperature of the water, but they developed entire ecosystems
00:25:04 there.
00:25:05 They're unique because they don't need sunlight to survive.
00:25:08 Instead, small bacteria are their main source of energy.
00:25:12 That bacteria gets their energy directly from these toxic chemicals.
00:25:17 So it's not photosynthesis, but a process called chemosynthesis.
00:25:21 And these tube worms don't have mouths.
00:25:24 These bacteria live inside them.
00:25:26 Strange story, huh?
00:25:28 Plus, these scary worms reach up to 8 feet.
00:25:33 Giant isopods are no better either.
00:25:35 They lurk at the depths of the ocean of 1,640 feet or more below, far away from the sunlight,
00:25:43 looking like some monstrous wood lice.
00:25:45 They spend most of their time on the seabed, hoping to find some food falling from higher
00:25:50 levels of the ocean.
00:25:52 Check out their small hooked claws at the ends of their legs.
00:25:56 Ants use them to remain more stable while moving around the ocean floor.
00:26:01 Since there's no light, they have long antennae that help them feel their way around.
00:26:06 These sensory antennas are about half the length of their body.
00:26:10 Giant isopods have pretty big eyes compared to their body size, too.
00:26:14 They can grow over 12 inches from head to tail.
00:26:18 And these fellas are really patient.
00:26:20 Remember how we said animals down there rarely get food?
00:26:24 Sometimes they need to wait for years to get a proper meal.
00:26:28 That's why their metabolism is amazingly slow.
00:26:33 They can go for five years without eating anything.
00:26:37 Imagine that.
00:26:38 I get hungry just talking about this.
00:26:40 In 2006, a biologist did research to compare the differences between the shallows and the
00:26:47 deep sea regions.
00:26:48 He realized the deep sea mirrors the island rule.
00:26:52 First, isolated parts of land develop biodiversity you won't find anywhere else.
00:26:58 Second, small-bodied life there grows much bigger when it's isolated compared to life
00:27:03 on large land masses.
00:27:05 Resources are limited, but also competition and predators.
00:27:10 And we don't know much about these deep sea creatures.
00:27:13 It's too expensive and too complicated to carry out such research.
00:27:17 So we'll just wait for more raging storms to show us at least part of the monstrous
00:27:22 world cold ocean depths hide.
00:27:27 Want to high-five a sea creature?
00:27:28 Well, put your flipper, I mean hand up, for the Tasmanian red handfish.
00:27:33 This fish doesn't swim like a fish.
00:27:35 It walks.
00:27:36 It uses its flipper-like hands to stroll around on the ocean floor.
00:27:41 These bottom walkers are disturbed by swimmers and boats a lot.
00:27:45 Some people even want to take them home as pets.
00:27:48 I think it's better to just give them a wave and swim on by.
00:27:52 The Vampire Squid
00:27:55 Its species name is Vampyrotuthis infernalis, which translates to "vampire squid from
00:28:01 hell."
00:28:02 Oh yes, this vampire squid means to terrify everyone with its name.
00:28:06 Its dark red color, its spikes at the bottom, and the scary fact that it can basically turn
00:28:12 itself inside out.
00:28:14 The vampire squid loves putting on a good show, but it's as harmless as a kitten is
00:28:19 to humans.
00:28:20 It's as if Dracula scared the pants off you, but he didn't have blood-sucking fangs.
00:28:25 The vampire squid feeds on food particles from plants and animal matter floating near
00:28:30 the ocean's surface.
00:28:31 Since they're not predators, they need good defensive strategies, and their vampiric look
00:28:36 is designed to ward off large creatures who want to eat them.
00:28:40 Turning themselves inside out is a defensive mechanism since the spiky areas in the inner
00:28:44 skin are more intimidating.
00:28:47 They also shoot out a substance that does not have color, but is packed with bioluminescent
00:28:52 particles to distract predators.
00:28:56 The Vaquita
00:28:57 Going out on a boat off the coast of Mexico sounds like the perfect vacation.
00:29:02 The sun, the blue water, the most endangered sea creature…
00:29:05 Wait, what?
00:29:07 The Vaquita isn't dangerous, but don't expect it to stick around to say hello or
00:29:11 sign any autographs.
00:29:13 It's incredibly shy.
00:29:15 This little cow – that's what it means in Spanish – is one tiny sea mammal.
00:29:19 With those black markings around its eyes, it looks more like a sea panda to me.
00:29:24 Seeing one should make you feel very special.
00:29:26 They're on the brink of extinction, mostly because they get caught by accident in fishing
00:29:31 nets.
00:29:32 It's estimated that there's only 10 left in the wild.
00:29:36 The Blue Dragon
00:29:38 This little creature looks like something out of a kid's fantasy movie.
00:29:41 It's called the Blue Glaucus, casually referred to as the Blue Dragon or Blue Angel.
00:29:47 It can be found in many places – the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans.
00:29:51 It's kind of a mollusk and it only grows to be about an inch long.
00:29:56 What you think is the back is actually the mollusk's bright underbelly.
00:30:00 It regularly floats on its back so that its blue colors help it camouflage with the water's
00:30:05 waves.
00:30:06 The Blue Dragon isn't just pretty, it's also smart.
00:30:09 It usually feasts on Portuguese man-o-wars, also known as Fisalia fisalis.
00:30:15 The Blue Dragon stores their stinging cells for later use, in essence, stealing their
00:30:20 defensive mechanisms.
00:30:21 When the Blue Dragon is threatened, it releases those stinging cells it's stored, directing
00:30:26 them at an enemy to sting them with more power than the Portuguese man-o-war would have been
00:30:31 capable of.
00:30:32 Because they can store a huge amount of stinging cells, they can be a threat to humans.
00:30:36 So if you find one, don't pick it up – it's best to admire it from a distance.
00:30:41 The Barreleye Fish
00:30:43 If you ever wanted to have Superman's X-ray vision, looking at the Barreleye fish will
00:30:48 make you feel like you gained that superpower at some point in your life without even realizing
00:30:52 it.
00:30:53 The Barreleye has a transparent head so you can see how their eyes and brain look inside.
00:30:58 This magnificent creature lives in the deep sea.
00:31:02 This is the lowest level of the ocean, where strange creatures roam in near-freezing temperatures
00:31:07 and constant darkness.
00:31:10 They're exposed to water's pressure that's almost 1,000 times that of the surface.
00:31:15 If the idea of the deep sea sends a shiver down your spine, stay tuned to learn about
00:31:19 another of its creatures later on!
00:31:22 The Barreleye fish can be found in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans.
00:31:27 You might be wondering, "Why oh why would a fish have a see-through head?"
00:31:31 And that would be a fair question.
00:31:33 Since the species was discovered in 1939, it was believed that the fish's eyes were
00:31:37 set to see straight ahead and couldn't move.
00:31:40 So it was assumed that they had tunnel vision.
00:31:43 Scientists Bruce Robinson and Kim Riesenbichler from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute
00:31:49 recently discovered that the fish can move its eyes vertically to see through the top
00:31:53 of its translucent head, thus noticing if there are predators or prey nearby.
00:31:58 The transparent head also allows more light to enter so they can detect prey better.
00:32:03 It's believed that the Barreleye fish eats jellyfish and small fish species.
00:32:09 If you dive in the ocean at night, you might be lucky enough to see how orange ball coralimorph
00:32:14 blooms in the dark.
00:32:16 But make sure to be quick because as soon as you turn on your flashlight to take a good
00:32:20 look, it will retract its tubes back into itself.
00:32:24 The Megalodon
00:32:25 The whale shark isn't the biggest shark known to humans.
00:32:29 If the entire shark species were a kingdom, the prehistoric Megalodon would be the ruler
00:32:33 of the sea.
00:32:35 Megalodon roamed the ocean a long time ago, oh, about 15.9 to 2.6 million years back between
00:32:41 the early Miocene and late Pliocene eras.
00:32:45 While they've long been extinct, people are still amazed to learn about these gigantic
00:32:48 sea beasts.
00:32:50 The Megalodon could reach anywhere between 45 feet to 60 feet in length with jaws more
00:32:55 than 6 feet wide.
00:32:57 A fossil of a tooth that once belonged to a Megalodon measured at 7 inches.
00:33:02 Needless to say, I'm pretty stoked that these guys have long been extinct.
00:33:06 But there's still some adventurers out there hoping to meet this monster one day.
00:33:11 The Dumbo Octopus
00:33:13 This adorable creature or creepy creature, or however you want to see it, is officially
00:33:18 called Grampotiuthis.
00:33:20 More casually, it's referred to as the Dumbo Octopus, named after the Disney character.
00:33:25 Though Dumbo, the elephant, not the octopus, was teased for his big ears, it's highly unlikely
00:33:31 that this adorable octopus gets teased by its water neighbors.
00:33:35 They are the deepest living octopuses, living in the deep sea.
00:33:39 And you know how scary that place is.
00:33:41 They're only about 8 inches tall and spend their days hovering just above the sea floor
00:33:46 eating snails, worms, and other food they find in the current or near ocean vents.
00:33:51 There are nearly 17 species of Dumbo Octopus, and they all have differences in height, color,
00:33:57 and body parts.
00:33:58 If you can't get enough strange animals, you'll be glad to learn that the deep sea has barely
00:34:03 been explored by humans.
00:34:04 So keep an eye out, there are bound to be more fascinating animals discovered in the
00:34:09 deep in the future.
00:34:11 The Sea Angel
00:34:13 These creatures might look and sound pretty cute, but their diet is far from sunshine
00:34:18 and lollipops.
00:34:19 Their favorite food are sea butterflies.
00:34:21 They lay mucus traps for them and wait in ambush.
00:34:25 The Squat Anemone Shrimp
00:34:27 This shrimp is tiny, only 0.5 inches.
00:34:31 It's also known as a dancer shrimp because of its peculiar behavior.
00:34:35 When agitated, it raises its bottom above its head and does a little dance.
00:34:41 Others also say it readily jumps on their hands and cleans them.
00:34:45 The Coconut Crab
00:34:47 This guy may look pretty creepy, especially when the sun goes down.
00:34:51 Mature coconut crabs are around 3 feet in length.
00:34:54 Their preferred foods are coconuts, but they can also hunt down lizards and even large
00:34:59 birds.
00:35:01 The Slender Snipe Eel
00:35:03 Slender Snipe Eel is a slim and long creature that's still a mystery for marine scientists.
00:35:09 It's 4 feet long and it has at least 750 bones in its spine, which is much more than any
00:35:15 other animal in the world.
00:35:17 The Sea Pen
00:35:18 Sea Pen is 7 feet long and it has a lot of varieties, but most of them look indeed like
00:35:24 a pen or a quill.
00:35:26 The similarity is even more striking when the animal has a water-filled bulb that anchors
00:35:30 it to the floor.
00:35:33 The Persian Carpet Flatworm
00:35:35 This creature looks indeed like a carpet, despite being very small by comparison.
00:35:40 It's only 4 inches long, able to become both male and female.
00:35:44 It doesn't really mate with other flatworms.
00:35:46 Rather, it fights them for the right to bear posterity.
00:35:50 The Flamingo Tongue Sea Snails
00:35:52 Tourists love these extraordinary snails for their pretty colors.
00:35:56 Thinking it's a shell, but in fact, the shell is quite dull and hidden underneath colorful
00:36:01 soft tissues.
00:36:02 They eat softer, toxic parts of corals and store their toxins to protect themselves.
00:36:14 A pod of dolphins is happily playing near the water's surface in the North Pacific Ocean
00:36:18 on a sunny day.
00:36:19 They're about as happy as can be, until the surface of the water begins to ripple.
00:36:28 It becomes more pronounced, like a possible tsunami or an underwater volcano preparing
00:36:33 to blast.
00:36:34 Their instincts tell them to hightail it out of there, but they don't know which way is
00:36:38 the safest path out.
00:36:40 Abruptly, a tremendous roaring sound fills the air.
00:36:44 The water explodes outwards as a giant whale bursts into the air.
00:36:51 Hello, mama!
00:36:53 Wait, that's no whale.
00:36:55 It's an ichthyosaur!
00:36:57 A giant sea dragon type monster from the Triassic period.
00:37:01 It's a massive 55 feet long and weighs 45 tons.
00:37:05 It doesn't look too dissimilar to a dolphin, but this sea monster isn't any cousin.
00:37:10 The dolphins scatter back beneath the water.
00:37:13 Fortunately for them, the ichthyosaur is not interested in having them for lunch.
00:37:18 It's merely playing as well.
00:37:20 This particular species is far more used to eating marine mollusks, smaller fish, and
00:37:25 squid.
00:37:26 But there's nothing in sight, so it disappears back below the surface, swimming majestically
00:37:31 with its huge fins and long, eel-like tail.
00:37:34 It had once roamed the land, but like other prehistoric land reptiles, including modern
00:37:39 day whales and dolphins, it returned to the sea and evolved over millions of years.
00:37:45 Its limbs have been transformed into flippers.
00:37:47 Some species had digits on their flippers, or phalanges.
00:37:51 They could almost pass for human hands.
00:37:54 Well hello there!
00:37:55 Some possessed a dorsal fin.
00:37:57 Their heads were pointed, and their jaws contained conical teeth to catch smaller prey.
00:38:02 They had large eyes, probably used for seeing in deep waters.
00:38:06 Their tail fin made for a powerful stroke.
00:38:10 Like some other sea creatures, they could breathe air and were warm-blooded.
00:38:14 They were sleek and as beautiful as some of today's ocean creatures.
00:38:19 Unexpectedly, an underwater time vortex opens in front of it, sucking in everything in its
00:38:24 path like an underwater black hole.
00:38:27 The ichthyosaur disappears inside, flailing about, unable to control its journey back
00:38:32 into the deep past.
00:38:34 Soon, it spat out again, into its own natural timeline of the Triassic period, during the
00:38:40 early dinosaur age, approximately 247 million years ago.
00:38:45 It swims with others of its kind.
00:38:47 They lived in herds or hunting groups.
00:38:50 While varying forms evolved worldwide, such as the smaller myxosaurus, let's stay with
00:38:55 this one because it will eventually find its way into modern human hands.
00:39:00 In evolutionary terms, the ichthyosaurs lasted for a very long time, millions of years.
00:39:06 There are many complex factors involved with how they became extinct, but in simplistic
00:39:10 terms, environmental changes brought out declines in smaller food groups and more brutal predatory
00:39:16 groups.
00:39:18 Ancient fish had evolved as well and became too fast for the ichthyosaur.
00:39:22 So we will leave our poor friend here, unable to find enough food and losing out to the
00:39:27 tougher competition.
00:39:28 It's hungry, tired, and weak.
00:39:31 It simply drifts away with the currents, eventually finding itself resting on the ocean floor.
00:39:41 Millions of years passed.
00:39:43 During the Triassic and Jurassic era, sea levels gradually ebb away, exposing vast regions
00:39:48 of the desert.
00:39:49 The area we're focusing on became Nevada in the western part of the United States.
00:39:55 During the Cretaceous period, a volcanic island chain formed.
00:39:59 Geological upheaval continued, bringing the ocean floor up into modern mountains.
00:40:04 Embedded in the rock, well, you can guess, not only ancient invertebrates, but more modern
00:40:09 creatures such as mammoths and giant sloths.
00:40:12 What an incredible array of wildlife!
00:40:16 But we're not here for them today.
00:40:19 Let's find out what happened to our friend.
00:40:21 Jump forward in time again to 1998.
00:40:24 The place, the Augusta Mountains of northwestern Nevada, or more specifically, a place called
00:40:30 Fossil Hill.
00:40:32 Protruding out of the rock were a few vertebrae.
00:40:35 Researchers could tell whatever creature it belonged to.
00:40:38 It was clearly enormous.
00:40:40 It was so embedded in the rock and complex that the excavation took many years.
00:40:45 In September of 2011, the excavators found more of the beast, the well-preserved skull,
00:40:51 forelimbs, and chest region.
00:40:53 It wasn't until 2015 that the now obviously giant ichthyosaur could be fully extracted.
00:41:00 The surviving fossils were a skull the size of a fully grown man, a shoulder, and a flipper-like
00:41:05 appendage.
00:41:06 Even then, it took a helicopter to move it.
00:41:12 The team named the new species Cymbospondylus yungorum.
00:41:15 Cymbospondylus is a Greek word meaning "spine."
00:41:19 Let's call this one Ichthyosaur Spiny from now on, because it should have a name by now.
00:41:24 And let's face it, it's a lot easier to pronounce.
00:41:27 Spiny was airlifted to the Natural History Museum in Los Angeles and further shipped
00:41:32 to the University of Bonn in Germany.
00:41:34 The study was undertaken by vertebrate paleontologist Martin Sander and his colleagues while collaborating
00:41:40 with the University of Mainz.
00:41:42 It was a unique and truly electrifying find, as the marine reptile was the largest animal
00:41:47 ever discovered from this time.
00:41:49 "As far as we know," stated Martin Sandler, "it was even the first giant creature ever
00:41:54 to inhabit the Earth."
00:41:56 You can think of Spiny as the underwater T-Rex of his time.
00:42:00 He's also quite remarkable, as his type lived only 3 to 5 million years after a mass extinction
00:42:05 event known as the Great Dying.
00:42:11 It happened roughly 252 million years ago.
00:42:14 It took out approximately 90% of the world's life forms.
00:42:18 What caused it?
00:42:19 The short version is elevated temperatures and increased acidification in the oceans.
00:42:25 Once one part of the food chain extinguishes, it causes a domino effect.
00:42:29 As you can imagine, soon there's little left to eat, and only the sturdiest can survive.
00:42:36 The atmosphere also had high levels of carbon dioxide.
00:42:40 Theories argue that giant volcanic eruptions caused this in Siberia, known as the Siberian
00:42:45 Traps.
00:42:46 It was the largest volcanic eruption in the past 500 million years.
00:42:51 The eruptions lasted a staggering 2 million years.
00:42:54 Large volumes of basaltic lava covered a large area of Siberia.
00:42:59 And today, the site is covered by about 3 million square miles of basaltic rock.
00:43:04 Other theories say that an asteroid caused the Great Dying, rather than the volcanoes.
00:43:09 In any regard, the impact was the same, and 81% of Earth's marine species and 70% of the
00:43:16 land-based vertebrae species were no more.
00:43:19 There have been numerous mass extinction events, but Spiny's size and existence are extraordinary
00:43:27 compared to the Great Dying.
00:43:29 It usually took 9 million years for species to recover and grow to this size, but he came
00:43:34 into being in less than half that time.
00:43:37 Using sophisticated computer models, the researchers examined the likely food web running through
00:43:42 the area now known as Fossil Hill.
00:43:44 They recreated the ancient environment through the available data, finding that marine food
00:43:49 webs must have supported giant creatures like the ichthyosaurs.
00:43:53 The theory is that our Spiny fed on a diverse and rich diet of marine mollusks, known as
00:43:59 ammonoids, that flourished from 1 to 3 million years after the Great Dying.
00:44:04 The now extinct ammonites filled the ecological void following the mass extinction and had
00:44:09 excellent living conditions without much prey to interfere with them.
00:44:14 Ichthyosaurs also evolved rapidly because they were the first more giant creatures to
00:44:18 populate the world's oceans.
00:44:20 The mollusks they fed off were also exposed to less competition.
00:44:24 Spiny had a massive food supply.
00:44:26 He chowed down like there was no tomorrow.
00:44:29 Unlike whales that become large due to eating foods like plankton, Spiny and his fellow species
00:44:34 grew big on the ammonites, and it took them a much shorter time.
00:44:38 That's a good message for you kids to eat healthily!
00:44:41 The exciting thing for us today is that these results show that marine ecosystems can build
00:44:46 up and respond well to such dramatic changes as climate, atmosphere, or water conditions.
00:44:52 They may have had different pathways, but some ichthyosaurs and whales have similarities.
00:44:57 They both have large sizes and a lack of prominent teeth.
00:45:01 Sperm whales dive deep to hunt giant squid.
00:45:04 Spiny hunted similarly.
00:45:06 They use a type of filter feeding to extract the food from the water.
00:45:10 Our friend likely ate fish and possibly squid, and ever smaller ichthyosaurs.
00:45:16 Ouch!
00:45:17 Other ichthyosaur forms had lots of teeth, with a skull more like a giant lizard.
00:45:22 They had razor-sharp teeth.
00:45:24 Ichthyosaurs swam the ancient oceans for nearly the whole of the dinosaur age.
00:45:29 Ichthyosaur fossils have been found in many other countries such as England, Norway, Japan,
00:45:33 Germany, Colombia, China, and Australia.
00:45:36 They were the underwater planet rulers of their day.
00:45:39 As the sun sets 250 million years ago, we might imagine Spiny having a better outcome
00:45:45 than he ultimately did and popping his head out of the water to watch the orange hues
00:45:50 of the pristine sky.
00:45:51 He pauses for a moment before, once again, dipping underwater to join his friends, swimming
00:45:57 happily away with the herd, looking for food and adventure in the deep blues of the Triassic
00:46:02 Ocean.
00:46:09 Scientists and sea biologists say that the mass of squids on the planet exceeds the mass
00:46:14 of all people.
00:46:16 Keep this fact in your mind while you listen to the story of the Kraken.
00:46:23 So no one knows exactly what this giant sea monster looks like.
00:46:27 But according to the stories of old fishers and taverns, the records of travelers and
00:46:31 legends, the Kraken looks like a giant squid.
00:46:35 If so, it has the squid's anatomical properties and reproductive functions.
00:46:40 And this is a big problem for us.
00:46:42 A female squid can lay anywhere from 3 to 100,000 eggs, even if most of them don't survive.
00:46:48 It's still a lot.
00:46:49 Many of these creatures live in the ocean's dark depths that people haven't yet fully
00:46:53 explored and it seems we'll know more about squids soon.
00:46:56 The metabolism of these creatures is accelerating thanks to the increase in water temperature
00:47:01 and this causes population growth.
00:47:04 Scientists call squids the weeds of the seas because of their rapid reproduction.
00:47:08 They can potentially exceed the population of all fish and mammals.
00:47:12 Perhaps there will be so many of them soon that they won't have enough food on the ocean
00:47:15 floor.
00:47:16 They will begin to migrate closer to the surface, small squid and monstrous giant ones.
00:47:23 There may be a Kraken among them, or a few, or even tens, hundreds of thousands.
00:47:27 And if this happens, humanity and all animals on Earth will face a huge problem.
00:47:33 As the kings of nature, people can easily invent poison to destroy Krakens.
00:47:37 But how to spread this poison?
00:47:40 Giant squids, along with ordinary fish, dolphins, whales, seaweed and phytoplankton will suffer
00:47:46 if it gets into the water.
00:47:48 More than half of the world's oxygen is produced by the ocean.
00:47:52 And if people spread this poison in the water, they'll risk disrupting the entire planet's
00:47:55 ecosystem.
00:47:56 The ocean will become lifeless.
00:47:59 So people have to forget about poisoning the water.
00:48:02 For a while, we will be helpless against the squid apocalypse.
00:48:05 Let's say a couple of billion squids rise to the surface.
00:48:07 A couple million of them are Krakens.
00:48:10 The first thing these monsters will want to do is get food.
00:48:13 Lunch for them can be both shoals of fish and massive whales.
00:48:17 And no one can stop them.
00:48:18 Even if megalodons existed, they wouldn't be able to resist the giant tentacles and
00:48:22 strong beaks of Krakens.
00:48:26 The fish population in the ocean has declined.
00:48:28 This means that people can't go fishing anymore.
00:48:30 We can catch fish in lakes, rivers and seas, but it's not enough.
00:48:34 Seafood has become very expensive all over the world.
00:48:37 A fish tank with goldfish is a luxury.
00:48:39 Of course, humans learn to catch giant squids, which solves the problem of hunger in some
00:48:43 areas.
00:48:44 The profession of a squid catcher is becoming prestigious all over the world.
00:48:48 This kind of fishing is dangerous and requires a lot of strength and courage.
00:48:52 The second problem is sea travel.
00:48:54 Every day people transport millions of tons of cargo across the ocean.
00:48:58 Large businesses and economies of entire countries work thanks to such transportation.
00:49:03 But now, Krakens swim close to the surface and make any voyage dangerous.
00:49:08 One monster can quickly destroy a small ship.
00:49:11 Ten or twenty Krakens are able to sink a giant cargo vessel.
00:49:15 This leads to a reduction in logistics chains.
00:49:18 Communication between continents is now maintained by air.
00:49:21 The number of flights is increasing.
00:49:23 Plane tickets are rising in price.
00:49:25 Travel is becoming too expensive.
00:49:27 This leads to a reduction in the number of tourists in some countries, which disrupts
00:49:31 their economies.
00:49:32 There are more Krakens and less food.
00:49:35 Resting on a beach also becomes dangerous.
00:49:37 Aggressive hungry giant squids can come ashore to catch sunbathers.
00:49:41 All shores are fenced.
00:49:43 Swimming is forbidden.
00:49:44 Of course, scientists invent some things to fight squids.
00:49:47 Sound barriers, for example.
00:49:49 Every ship is now equipped with a device that launches powerful ultrasonic waves into the
00:49:53 water.
00:49:54 They scare away all the fish and clear the way for boats.
00:49:57 In the beginning, it helps.
00:50:00 But then Krakens stop fearing it.
00:50:02 Ultrasound only angers them.
00:50:04 They pounce on ships and break sound barriers.
00:50:06 Another thing that scares them away is sunlight.
00:50:09 For millions of years, Krakens have been living on the dark ocean floor.
00:50:13 Their eyes are used to the darkness, so they fear the bright light.
00:50:17 During sunny weather, ships move freely.
00:50:20 But as soon as the sun goes below the horizon or clouds obscure it, sea monsters come out
00:50:25 of the ocean depths.
00:50:27 It doesn't help much because it's impossible to sail across any ocean within a single sunny
00:50:32 day.
00:50:33 In addition, there is no guarantee that you won't get caught in a storm when the sun is
00:50:37 hidden behind the clouds.
00:50:39 That's why people invent powerful floodlights.
00:50:42 They direct their beams at monster's heads and drive them into the dark depths.
00:50:47 Such projectors are expensive because they require a lot of energy.
00:50:50 Only some ships can afford such a device.
00:50:52 And while people seek more effective ways to fight Krakens, squids multiply.
00:50:56 And this becomes the solution to the problem.
00:50:59 The ocean is running out of fish.
00:51:01 Food is not available on land.
00:51:03 Like a snake devouring its tail, squids start fighting with one another.
00:51:07 The water foams, and squids cling to each other with tentacles.
00:51:11 Big Krakens defeat smaller monsters.
00:51:14 Their population is shrinking.
00:51:16 A few giant squids the size of the Eiffel Tower survive after long battles.
00:51:20 And when the fight is over, little squids come into play.
00:51:23 Billions of cephalopods pounce on giant Krakens.
00:51:26 They are like flies clinging from all sides.
00:51:29 Giant monsters can't fight them.
00:51:30 Great.
00:51:31 The problem with voyages is solved.
00:51:33 Large ships can set sail, but it's still dangerous for people to swim in the sea since tiny monsters
00:51:38 are still hungry.
00:51:39 Logistics chains have been restored, but fish are still scarce in the ocean.
00:51:43 Squids, like parasites, don't allow other creatures to dominate.
00:51:47 And here, scientists come to help fish.
00:51:50 Let's go back to our reality for a second.
00:51:52 There's such a thing as a gene drive.
00:51:54 It's a substance that changes the genetic code of living creatures.
00:51:58 For example, scientists have implemented a gene drive in mosquitoes that cause malaria.
00:52:03 Biologists changed the genome of these insects, so some female mosquitoes became infertile.
00:52:09 Then these females spread the gene throughout the mosquito colony.
00:52:12 As a result, more insects that couldn't conceive appeared.
00:52:16 They continued to spread the gene, and this went on until the population reduced significantly.
00:52:22 A gene drive is a low-cost way to get rid of invasive species of insects or rodents.
00:52:28 Thus scientists can control the population of entire species.
00:52:31 But such actions can be dangerous.
00:52:33 If some animal disappears, it can disrupt the whole ecosystem and lead to the disappearance
00:52:38 of other animals.
00:52:39 In the case of mosquitoes, nature didn't suffer much.
00:52:43 So scientists use a gene drive against squid.
00:52:46 But why couldn't they do it from the very beginning?
00:52:49 Ordinary squids didn't pose a threat.
00:52:52 And their average life expectancy is from three to five years.
00:52:55 If scientists had launched a gene drive, then in seven years all small squids would have
00:52:59 disappeared.
00:53:00 But it wouldn't have worked with krakens.
00:53:03 According to myths and legends, one such monster can live for several hundred years, now when
00:53:07 small squids have solved the problem with large ones.
00:53:10 A gene drive comes into play.
00:53:12 It takes several years to get rid of the squid.
00:53:14 The ocean ecosystem begins to recover.
00:53:17 People take fish and marine mammals from seas and rivers and transfer them to the ocean.
00:53:21 The population of whales, sharks, octopuses, salmon, and hundreds of thousands of other
00:53:27 species is growing.
00:53:29 But then another threat awakens in the depths of the ocean.
00:53:32 It turns out that when squids and krakens lived on the ocean floor, they didn't let
00:53:36 even more terrible monsters move to the surface.
00:53:39 Now that all arthropods have disappeared, new monsters are breaking free.
00:53:43 First marine earthquakes begin, but then scientists discover that it's not the seabed shaking.
00:53:49 Those are the backs of giant crabs.
00:53:52 Hundreds of thousands of armored monsters with claws are rising to the surface, and
00:53:56 this time they can come ashore.
00:53:58 The Stonefish.
00:54:13 Stonefish aren't going to win any beauty contests, unless the pageant is for best rock
00:54:18 look-alike.
00:54:19 Their tiny unreflective eyes and rough skin blend in perfectly with their environment.
00:54:25 A large head, an even bigger mouth, and a home full of, yeah, it's rocks.
00:54:31 And just because you're on the beach doesn't mean you're safe.
00:54:34 Stonefish can survive for 24 hours out of the water.
00:54:39 Stepping on one or even handling one won't be that fun.
00:54:42 Their dorsal fin spines have extremely strong venom.
00:54:46 It shoots out when they get stepped on, and it can lead to paralysis or even heart failure.
00:54:51 You'll need help fast.
00:54:53 No wonder they're one of the most dangerous creatures in the water, or anywhere.
00:54:58 Be careful when scrambling around rocky areas.
00:55:01 They love to play hide and seek.
00:55:04 The Deep Sea Dragonfish.
00:55:08 If there were a prize for the most hideous fish in the ocean, the Deep Sea Dragonfish
00:55:13 would win.
00:55:14 With slimy, scaleless skin, massive teeth, and a face only a mother could love, this
00:55:20 bad boy of the sea is nothing to mess with.
00:55:23 It likes to swim between 700 feet and 6,000 feet below the surface of the ocean, where
00:55:29 the waters are the darkest and coldest.
00:55:32 Along with some other creatures on this list, the Deep Sea Dragonfish relies on its bioluminescent
00:55:37 body parts to catch prey.
00:55:39 It also uses its hanging appendage, which boasts a little red light on the end, coming
00:55:45 out from its lower jaw.
00:55:47 Many fish mistake this little light for prey, luring them right into the jaws of the Deep
00:55:52 Sea Dragonfish.
00:55:54 Very clever, Dragonfish.
00:55:56 Very clever indeed.
00:55:59 The Fangtooth.
00:56:01 The Mariana Trench is an underwater trench with a depth of 35,000 feet, nearly 7 miles
00:56:08 below the ocean's surface.
00:56:10 Let that sink in.
00:56:11 While scientists know the Mariana Trench exists, it's one of the least explored places on
00:56:17 Earth.
00:56:18 It's also the deepest area of Earth's oceans.
00:56:21 And although many creatures down there probably haven't even been seen by humans yet, scientists
00:56:26 have had the creepy pleasure of getting to know the Fangtooth.
00:56:31 The Fangtooth fish shamelessly lives up to its name.
00:56:34 Just look at that thing.
00:56:36 The Fangtooth is carnivorous and feeds on just about anything it can find that gets
00:56:41 caught in its sharp-toothed mouth.
00:56:43 These fish rely on their contact chemoreception to find prey.
00:56:48 In other words, they can sense chemical residue that comes off of other living organisms in
00:56:53 the deep sea.
00:56:55 This is because they don't have any light-producing cells on their bodies, unlike many other deep
00:57:00 sea fish.
00:57:01 On top of all that, it's pretty dark down there, so whatever crosses their path, they
00:57:06 chomp on.
00:57:08 While these guys look pretty scary, they're not a threat to humans.
00:57:12 They only grow about 7 inches long.
00:57:15 Even so, I wouldn't want to run into one of these things during a relaxing swim in
00:57:19 the ocean.
00:57:21 The Dunkleosteus Strangely enough, this prehistoric fish, known
00:57:27 as the T-Rex of the seas, had no teeth.
00:57:31 Those were replaced with bony plates that allowed it to have the strongest bite among
00:57:36 other monsters of its size.
00:57:39 The Goblin Shark If you thought the movies about sharks were
00:57:44 scary, this next deep sea creature will make you swear off going for dips in the ocean
00:57:49 forever.
00:57:50 However, it lives 3,000 feet underwater, so you'll never likely see it face to face.
00:57:57 The Goblin Shark looks like a cross between a shark and a creature from your worst nightmare.
00:58:03 These sharks boast a protruding, sword-like snout with a jaw that juts out to match.
00:58:09 Like other sharks that have more of a gray hue, this creepy thing looks not so pretty
00:58:14 in pink.
00:58:16 Aside from their scary demeanor, what do scientists really know about the Goblin Shark?
00:58:21 Well, not much, except that they can grow up to 18 feet in length.
00:58:26 Looks like there's still a lot to learn about these guys, if you dare to.
00:58:31 By the way, did you know that sharks don't sleep?
00:58:35 Many species have to keep water moving over their gills to get oxygen, so they can't
00:58:40 fall into a deep sleep like we do.
00:58:42 That's why they stay half-awake during rest.
00:58:46 Typically, sharks don't even close their eyes.
00:58:50 The Cookie Cutter Shark This shark is a living horror, with lower
00:58:56 teeth being big and sharp, while the upper ones are much smaller.
00:59:00 When its teeth fall off, the shark eats them to maintain calcium levels.
00:59:05 Pretty smart solution for a shark.
00:59:09 The Frilled Shark Studying the Frilled Shark is like looking
00:59:14 through a portal back to prehistoric times.
00:59:17 That's because scientists think that these eel-like sharks haven't changed much since
00:59:22 their oldest ancestors roamed the deep sea waters, so they're sometimes referred to
00:59:26 as "living fossils."
00:59:29 These sharks' mouths are filled with a terrifying 25 rows of backward-facing sharp
00:59:34 teeth, 300 in total.
00:59:36 They're designed to grasp prey and hold them tight so they can't get away, according
00:59:42 to early studies of the shark conducted in 1884 and published in the Bulletin of the
00:59:47 Essex Institute.
00:59:49 Luckily for swimmers, the Frilled Sharks live between 390 feet and 4,200 feet below the
00:59:56 ocean's surface, so they'll probably never run into them.
01:00:00 Probably.
01:00:01 This is probably the worst nightmare of any dentist.
01:00:05 The Northern Stargazer Take a look at this cutie.
01:00:10 The Northern Stargazer is definitely not something you'd wish to see on the ocean floor.
01:00:16 This horrid creature hides its body under the sand, leaving its face above to wait for
01:00:21 prey.
01:00:25 The Tasseled Wobbegong Here's another carpet shark on our list.
01:00:31 It lies low on the bottom of the sea and patiently waits for its prey to come by.
01:00:38 The Australian Ghost Shark The Australian Ghost Shark isn't really even
01:00:43 a shark, but a very bony fish.
01:00:46 It's also a living fossil.
01:00:48 It hasn't changed within the last 400 million years.
01:00:53 Believe it or not, sharks and humans have a common ancestor that lived around 440 million
01:01:00 years ago.
01:01:01 Even though we both evolved in our own way, there are still some signs of that connection.
01:01:06 For example, the genome of an elephant shark is very similar to humans.
01:01:14 The Leopleurodon This list of terrifying creatures would be
01:01:19 incomplete without mentioning the terrifying and prehistoric Leopleurodon.
01:01:25 This carnivorous marine reptile existed during the Colobian stage of the Middle Jurassic
01:01:30 era and ruled the waters at 9 feet in length.
01:01:35 Scientists believe Leopleurodon thrived in this deep-sea trench because of its ability
01:01:40 to swim long distances and its four paddle-like limbs.
01:01:44 While they probably weren't able to propel themselves toward prey like other animals
01:01:49 of the area, they did manage to accelerate and attack very ruthlessly and efficiently.
01:01:55 Additionally, they relied on their long snouts to smell prey, which leads scientists to believe
01:02:01 they didn't rely on sight for hunting.
01:02:04 This means they could have thrived in the dark Mariana Trench.
01:02:09 Around 150 million years ago, Leopleurodon became extinct due to competition for prey
01:02:15 against other thriving marine reptiles.
01:02:18 And I think I speak for all of us when I say, "Thank goodness for that!"
01:02:24 Considering that scientists have only explored 5% of the ocean floor and found some of the
01:02:29 scariest sea creatures imaginable, one can only dream of what other animals reside in
01:02:35 the deep-sea waters.
01:02:36 Perhaps it's best to keep them in your imagination, am I right?
01:02:42 The Megamouth Shark This shark is a filter feeder, and it's
01:02:47 friendly to humans, although its huge mouth can look quite threatening.
01:02:52 Like basking sharks, it swims with its mouth constantly wide open, as if it were on Twitter.
01:03:00 The Gulper Eel This deep-sea eel has an easily distended
01:03:05 belly that allows it to swallow prey twice its size in a single monstrous bite.
01:03:11 They have very unusual jaw shapes and can reach about 2-3 feet in length.
01:03:18 Do you see that large log near the ocean floor?
01:03:21 Maybe it's part of an old ship?
01:03:23 Treasure!
01:03:24 Gold!
01:03:25 Diamonds!
01:03:26 I'm rich!
01:03:27 As you get closer, you notice something.
01:03:29 It's swimming!
01:03:31 It's not a shark or a dolphin.
01:03:33 It's a saltwater crocodile!
01:03:36 Now don't panic.
01:03:37 If you bump into one of these reptiles in the sea, it's unlikely it'll think of you
01:03:42 as food.
01:03:43 Crocodiles have a special valve in their throat that stops them from drowning underwater.
01:03:48 But that doesn't mean they can't bite!
01:03:51 Usually, they're heading to a nearby island, and the quickest way there is to body surf.
01:03:57 They can't really take the ferry, you know.
01:04:00 Watching one from a distance should be okay.
01:04:03 Just don't swim to shore right away.
01:04:05 They love to ambush their lunch in shallow water.
01:04:08 If there's one time I'd want to see a great white shark, it's when I'm diving with crocodiles.
01:04:15 They'll gladly take a crocodile-sized nibble, given the right motivation.
01:04:21 Think you know what lurks in the depths of the ocean?
01:04:24 While nearly 95% of our oceans haven't been explored yet, it's hard not to let your imagination
01:04:30 run wild.
01:04:32 But thanks to brave explorers, deep-sea cameras, and awesome archaeologists, we do know about
01:04:38 some pretty incredible sea creatures living in our waters today, and millions of years
01:04:43 ago.
01:04:44 From the 9-foot spider crab to the 60-foot prehistoric megalodon, these sea dwellers
01:04:50 come in all shapes and sizes.
01:04:52 But let's focus on sea creatures famous for their huge size.
01:04:57 Can you guess which living species of whale is the largest?
01:05:01 Well, it's not the orca, but that's a good guess.
01:05:04 The orca is a toothed whale that can grow to anywhere from 23 feet to 32 feet, which
01:05:10 is slightly smaller than a school bus.
01:05:13 How about the narwhal?
01:05:14 Nope, they're not the biggest either.
01:05:17 These unicorns of the sea live mainly in Arctic waters and only grow 13 feet to 20 feet in
01:05:23 length.
01:05:24 And that's including their 9-foot tusk.
01:05:27 Tired of guessing?
01:05:28 Okay, I give in.
01:05:30 The largest whale that still exists today is the blue whale.
01:05:34 At a jaw-dropping 82 feet to 105 feet, the blue whale is not only the biggest whale we
01:05:40 know of, but is currently the largest animal to have ever lived on Earth.
01:05:45 Seriously.
01:05:47 These animals are bigger than a T-Rex and even the prehistoric megalodon.
01:05:52 If you were to put a blue whale next to a school bus, it would look like it could swallow
01:05:56 it.
01:05:57 Think about that.
01:05:58 According to National Geographic, a blue whale's tongue can weigh the same as an elephant.
01:06:05 And their hearts can weigh as much as a car.
01:06:08 That doesn't even sound possible.
01:06:10 It's no wonder these giants need to eat about 4 tons of krill every day.
01:06:16 While there aren't too many animals living today that can compete with the blue whale's
01:06:19 epic proportions, there is an entirely different species that is a good contender.
01:06:25 And it's not quite what you would expect.
01:06:27 It's a jellyfish.
01:06:29 No, I'm not talking about the little jellyfish that wash up on the shore and ruin a perfectly
01:06:33 good day at the beach.
01:06:36 I'm referring to the lion's mane jellyfish, the biggest jellyfish around.
01:06:41 This invertebrate can grow up to 120 feet long.
01:06:45 They also come in different gorgeous colors, like red, purple, or even shades of orange.
01:06:52 As if their length wasn't impressive, the lion's mane jellyfish boast a whopping 8
01:06:57 sets of 70 to 150 tentacles.
01:07:01 That means they can have up to 1,200 in total.
01:07:05 And here's the giant oceanic manta ray, the largest type of ray in the world.
01:07:11 Their wingspan can be longer than a bus.
01:07:14 These guys can reach 30 feet in length.
01:07:17 They also have the biggest brain compared to body size among all fish.
01:07:22 Unlike their stingray cousins, mantas don't have venomous tails.
01:07:28 And while the lion's mane jellyfish and the blue whale are yet to be beaten for the longest
01:07:32 sea creature, there is one marine creature that can grow even larger in length.
01:07:37 The Portuguese Fisalia fisalis, tentacles and all, can reach a length of 165 feet long.
01:07:45 And that's according to mentalfloss.com.
01:07:48 While this thing may look a lot like a jellyfish, it's actually known as a siphonophore, and
01:07:53 there are hundreds and sometimes thousands of them that are genetically identical.
01:07:59 Their long tentacles help the organism catch prey, and its sting is fatal to most animals,
01:08:05 even humans in some cases.
01:08:08 What's even creepier is that if one of the tentacles comes off the organism for whatever
01:08:12 reason, it can float around the water for days before decomposing.
01:08:18 Even if it's detached, this tentacle can still sting you.
01:08:21 But don't go running out of the ocean just yet.
01:08:25 Your chances of being hurt by a Portuguese Fisalia fisalis sting are pretty slim.
01:08:30 However, if you do get stung, the side effects aren't pretty, with welts, stomach cramps,
01:08:37 an elevated heart rate, and an upset stomach.
01:08:40 While you don't want to go anywhere near these long creatures, they sure are pretty to look
01:08:44 at.
01:08:45 Check out all those colors!
01:08:49 The Shastasaurus is the biggest marine reptile that has ever existed.
01:08:53 These predators lived during the Late Triassic Period, about 210 million years ago.
01:08:59 These amazing giants could reach lengths of up to 69 feet and weighed more than 75 tons.
01:09:06 This made the Shastasaurus as heavy as a blue whale.
01:09:10 And if you could stand this creature up vertically, it'd be as tall as a seven-story building.
01:09:16 Despite appearances, the Shastasaurus was actually pretty slim for its size.
01:09:21 Its ribcage was only six feet across.
01:09:24 You'd think that this big guy was chowing down on other dinosaurs, but that's not the
01:09:28 case at all.
01:09:30 This reptile survived on a diet that consisted of small fish and cephalopods, like octopuses
01:09:36 and squids.
01:09:38 The Albertonectes is a bright representative of the Pliosaur family, meaning that this
01:09:43 marine reptile had a small head on an incredibly long neck and large flipper-like limbs that
01:09:49 helped it move through the water.
01:09:52 These creatures occupied the seas around North America 76 to 70 million years ago.
01:09:58 The length of this sea monster could reach 38 feet, with its neck taking up 23 feet of
01:10:03 that length.
01:10:06 This neck was a true record-breaker.
01:10:08 It had a whopping 76 bones in it!
01:10:11 No other animal known to humankind has had so many vertebrae in its neck.
01:10:17 Scientists aren't sure why they needed such a lengthy neck.
01:10:21 They might have used it to collect shellfish off the seabed.
01:10:24 Or perhaps it helped them capture their main prey, fish and squids.
01:10:29 This aquatic reptile also had gastroliths in its stomachs.
01:10:33 Some of them were as big as 5.5 inches in diameter.
01:10:37 The Tilosaurus belonged to the Mosasaur family.
01:10:41 It dominated the shallow seas of North America about 85 to 80 million years ago.
01:10:47 This was an enormous predator, with the biggest representatives reaching 45 feet in length.
01:10:53 It had a narrow hydrodynamic body with a blunt, powerful head that the animal used to ram
01:10:59 and stun its prey.
01:11:01 Its body was equipped with agile flippers and a long tail decorated with a maneuverable
01:11:06 fin.
01:11:07 The Tilosaurus was a carnivore, and its diet included not only fish, turtles, and small
01:11:13 sharks, but also other mosasaurs, pleosaurs, and flightless birds.
01:11:19 Meet Ophthalmosaurus.
01:11:21 This prehistoric reptile thrived during the late Jurassic period and lived in oceans all
01:11:26 over the world.
01:11:28 Ophthalmosaurus weighed somewhere around 6,000 pounds and grew to approximately 16 feet long,
01:11:35 according to NewDinosaurs.com.
01:11:38 That's about the same length as the beluga whale that exists today.
01:11:41 It's too bad these guys went extinct before we had a chance to see them ourselves, as
01:11:46 their cartoonish wide eyes and dolphin-like features are pretty darn cute.
01:11:50 Of course, the Ophthalmosaurus evolved over time to become ophthalmologists, or eye doctors
01:11:57 that we know today.
01:11:58 No, that's just a lie.
01:12:00 Just testing you.
01:12:02 The Mosasaurus is a truly gigantic predator that dominated the seas all over the world
01:12:08 about 66 million years ago.
01:12:11 According to fossil evidence, some specimens could be more than 50 feet in length.
01:12:15 This fact makes the Mosasaurus the biggest marine carnivore of its time.
01:12:20 One of the most terrifying things about this creature was its crocodile-like head.
01:12:25 Filled with literally hundreds of razor-sharp teeth neatly organized in two rows on both
01:12:30 jaws.
01:12:31 The thing is that it was pretty challenging for the Mosasaurus to grab its prey in the
01:12:36 water.
01:12:37 That's why it had all these teeth, plus something special - pterygoid teeth anchored to the bones
01:12:43 on the roof of its mouth.
01:12:45 This made hunting and holding onto its prey much easier.
01:12:50 The Stixosaurus belonged to the Pleiosaur family and lived during the late Cretaceous
01:12:54 period, around 85 to 70 million years ago.
01:12:58 Upon first glance at this dinosaur, you might mistake it for a sea snake, and it'd be an
01:13:03 honest mistake.
01:13:04 Stixosaurus were about 35 feet in length, but over 16 feet of that consisted just of
01:13:10 their long snake-like neck.
01:13:12 They had a comparatively small body and weighed approximately 4 tons.
01:13:17 Their mouths were full of razor-sharp cone-shaped teeth that they used to catch fish.
01:13:23 They didn't need to chew their prey, thanks to the 200 small stones called gastroliths
01:13:27 in their bellies that probably aided in digestion.
01:13:31 At the same time, some scientists believe that the Stixosaurus used these stones to
01:13:36 sink to the ocean bottom in search of particular types of fish.
01:13:40 Looks kinda like Nessie to me.
01:13:45 What's the scariest predator under the ocean?
01:13:48 The crocodile?
01:13:49 I don't think so.
01:13:51 Loch Ness Monster?
01:13:52 No way, it never existed.
01:13:54 How about the Cronosaurus?
01:13:55 Well, it is extinct, but you might be onto something.
01:14:00 Let's take a look at what it'd be like if these creatures were still around today.
01:14:05 First things first, what on earth was it?
01:14:08 The Cronosaurus was a marine carnivore that lived in the cool, high-latitude Aralmanga
01:14:13 Sea.
01:14:14 It covered vast areas of inland Australia between 90 and 120 million years ago, during
01:14:20 the early Cretaceous period.
01:14:22 Near-complete fossils of the creature were also found near Colombia, which is a country
01:14:26 that has a noted connection to prehistoric reptiles and turtles.
01:14:30 This fact makes it extremely possible that the monster I'm about to describe existed
01:14:35 worldwide.
01:14:37 You might have heard "saurus" and thought, "Oh, it's a dinosaur!"
01:14:41 But these were actually reptiles.
01:14:43 They were the largest member of the Pleiosauroidea family, referred to as Pleiosaurs.
01:14:49 Natural evidence suggests they weighed over 20,000 pounds and were roughly 30 feet in
01:14:54 length.
01:14:56 Just to put that in perspective, the longest crocodile ever measured was a saltwater crocodile
01:15:01 by the name of Lolong from the Philippines.
01:15:04 It was 20 feet in length and weighed just under 2,500 pounds.
01:15:10 And that's still 10 feet shorter and incredibly lighter than the average Cronosaurus, making
01:15:15 the crocodile seem like nothing more than a glorified goldfish in comparison.
01:15:20 Despite its terrifying length, the most physically daunting feature of the Cronosaurus was its
01:15:25 head.
01:15:26 Its skull was about 8 feet long, which was actually proportionally large given the size
01:15:31 of its body length.
01:15:33 Anything that was unfortunate enough to end up inside the Cronosaurus's mouth may have
01:15:38 been given false hope.
01:15:40 After all, the teeth of the beast weren't actually that sharp.
01:15:44 On second thought, I take that back.
01:15:46 I wouldn't feel confident around a toothless snake, let alone being inside the mouth of
01:15:51 this monster.
01:15:54 But it's true that the Cronosaurus's teeth weren't sharp, especially when compared to
01:15:58 other carnivorous reptiles, such as crocodiles and alligators.
01:16:02 The teeth of this prehistoric sea creature were instead conical.
01:16:07 This means that they were cone-like in shape.
01:16:10 Unfortunately, this lack of sharpness didn't make them less dangerous.
01:16:14 The teeth were enormous and could be up to 12 inches long from the crown tips to the
01:16:19 bottom of the roots.
01:16:21 This obviously meant that the Cronosaurus had an extremely powerful bite.
01:16:25 It was estimated to be up to 30,000 newtons, which is almost twice as powerful as the bite
01:16:31 of a large saltwater crocodile.
01:16:34 Because of the bluntness of their teeth, they weren't suited for twisting their prey once
01:16:38 in their grasp.
01:16:40 But the size and shape of the teeth made them perfect for simple, open-and-shut biting.
01:16:45 They would have had no problem crushing hard objects such as the toughest of shells any
01:16:50 sea turtle could offer.
01:16:52 Just like crocodiles, the Cronosaurus is believed to have had a short neck.
01:16:57 This may have been an adaptation to allow the beast to successfully catch small, evasive
01:17:02 animals.
01:17:03 Their body, in general, was fusiform and streamlined.
01:17:07 This means it was narrowed at both ends and had very little resistance to the flow of
01:17:11 water.
01:17:13 The Cronosaurus was also equipped with four paddle-like limbs.
01:17:17 The hind limbs were larger than the front ones.
01:17:20 They could span approximately 7 feet in diameter.
01:17:23 All in all, this set the Cronosaurus up to effortlessly propel itself through the waters
01:17:28 and be an ultimate predator.
01:17:31 Predator X, if you will.
01:17:33 That's the name that was given to the fossil of a creature discovered near Svalbard, a
01:17:38 Norwegian island group, in 2009.
01:17:41 The fossil was identified as a 50-foot-long, 100,000-pound monster with a bite force of
01:17:47 33,000 pounds per square inch.
01:17:50 This might be the highest bite force of any known animal.
01:17:54 Although Predator X is yet to be classified as any specific type of animal, it was definitely
01:18:00 a pleosaur like the Cronosaurus.
01:18:03 Even if it wasn't Predator X, the Cronosaurus was still most definitely a ferocious titan
01:18:09 when it roamed Earth's oceans.
01:18:11 The Cronosaurus actually got its name from the Greek mythological figure of Cronus, the
01:18:16 father of Zeus.
01:18:18 Cronus was viewed as a titan from a generation of super-powerful beings.
01:18:24 So what was it that the Cronosaurus, this terrifying monster, actually feasted on to
01:18:29 satisfy its appetite?
01:18:31 This creature was known to eat sea turtles, squid, and other larger marine reptiles of
01:18:36 that time, such as Elasmosaurus and Icthyosaurus.
01:18:40 This suggests that if crocodiles existed in the realms of the Cronosaurus, they too might
01:18:45 have turned into lunch for the beast.
01:18:48 There's evidence from the fossil remains of the Cronosaurus that suggests that they also
01:18:53 feasted on sharks, which I know is a disappointment to those of you who view that beast as the
01:18:58 king of the ocean, not when the Cronosaurus was around, my friend.
01:19:04 In any case, grounding all kinds of food into small pieces to help digest them would have
01:19:09 been difficult without small teeth.
01:19:12 This explains the presence of rounded stones found in many of the remains of these sea
01:19:16 creatures.
01:19:18 Researchers believe these stones may have been swallowed to control buoyancy or to help
01:19:23 process food.
01:19:24 It's also entirely possible they were accidentally swallowed while feeding on other animals from
01:19:29 the sea floor.
01:19:31 As if the Cronosaurus even needed to be a meanie with its already existing power and
01:19:36 size, there's also evidence to suggest that it indeed might have been.
01:19:41 It turns out that after using all its impressive attributes to catch its dinner, the Cronosaurus
01:19:46 first liked to play with its food, like a cat does with a mouse.
01:19:51 I guess since the hunt was so easy for them, they needed to get their fun from somewhere
01:19:55 else.
01:19:56 Well, I think now you should have a good idea about these creatures, so let's ask ourselves
01:20:02 what it would be like if they were still around today.
01:20:05 And by the way, why aren't they?
01:20:08 Well, the Cronosaurus was completely finished off by the same KT meteor that took out the
01:20:14 dinosaurs 66 million years ago.
01:20:16 And even before this catastrophic event, they were coming under increased pressure from
01:20:21 an even bigger and more vicious family of carnivorous marine reptiles known as mosasaurs.
01:20:27 You can't always be a top dog, I guess, or rather, top marine reptile.
01:20:33 But what if this never happened and they were still roaming Earth?
01:20:37 Well, this might be obvious, but can you imagine what kind of impact that would have on sea
01:20:42 tourism?
01:20:43 Based on the impact that famous movies about sharks and killer whales had, what do you
01:20:48 think the presence of a Cronosaurus in the ocean would do to beaches?
01:20:52 The very creature that would eat sharks and whales for breakfast?
01:20:56 Beaches would certainly become a great place to go for a quiet walk, because nobody else
01:21:01 would even be there.
01:21:03 And what about such activities as boating, surfing, and scuba diving?
01:21:08 You think anyone would dare try them, knowing that this 30-foot beast could be lurking beneath
01:21:13 them?
01:21:14 Let's give humans some credit and assume most of them wouldn't.
01:21:18 This would cripple the global sea tourism industry, which is responsible for earning
01:21:22 roughly $143 billion every year.
01:21:26 Just to make sure this shocking point hits home, the most expensive yacht to ever roam
01:21:30 the ocean was called the History Supreme.
01:21:34 Its master bedroom was believed to have a statue made of T-Rex's bone and a wall made
01:21:39 of meteorite rocks, as well as a 24-karat gold panoramic wall aquarium.
01:21:44 Anyway, this yacht was worth nearly $5 billion, meaning you could buy 38 of them with the
01:21:51 money lost and potential damages to sea tourism caused by the Cronosaurus.
01:21:56 I'm sure that the yacht's owner was happy the beast never made an appearance in their
01:22:00 luxurious aquarium.
01:22:02 So luxurious, in fact, that some people believe the History Supreme, reportedly owned by some
01:22:08 business genius from Malaysia, never even existed.
01:22:11 Rumor has it that it was simply an elaborate hoax fabricated by the supposed designer.
01:22:16 Anyway, I don't think the trouble would just stop there.
01:22:20 People could actually be in serious danger, regardless of being near the ocean or not.
01:22:25 No, I'm not about to tell you that this thing would grow legs, adapt to living on land,
01:22:29 and start picking us off one by one.
01:22:31 At least, I hope not.
01:22:34 I'm just going to point out the damage that the Cronosaurus would inflict through its
01:22:38 devastating impact on sea trade.
01:22:40 In America, ocean transit accounts for 76% of national trade.
01:22:45 On top of this, more than 100 vital pharmaceutical products originate in the sea.
01:22:51 I'll also state the obvious and point out that the ocean is a huge food source for us
01:22:55 humans.
01:22:56 The presence of the Cronosaurus could have a great impact on our relationship with the
01:23:00 ocean, something we usually take for granted.
01:23:04 Some sharks have an eerie ability to spit out their stomach and then pull it back into
01:23:08 place.
01:23:09 Well, that would be handy.
01:23:11 Most sharks eat huge amounts of food, but the problem is they can't digest everything
01:23:15 they've gulped down.
01:23:16 So they need a way to get rid of such stuff as sea turtle shells and beaks, bird feathers
01:23:21 and bones, lobster claws, and whatnot.
01:23:24 And then, these amazing creatures willingly barf up their whole stomach, along with all
01:23:28 the contents.
01:23:30 After the shark is done, it pulls its main digestive organ back in.
01:23:34 And the entire process usually takes no more than a second.
01:23:38 Some shark species, like Great Whites or Mako, have a special eye-warming system.
01:23:43 Their retina heats up their eyes and brain.
01:23:45 This not only helps them detect movement better, but also improves resolution.
01:23:50 As for the Mako shark, this species often travels vertically across different temperatures.
01:23:55 Unlike most people with only one movable jaw, sharks can freely move both their lower and
01:24:01 upper jaws.
01:24:02 This allows them to get a better grip on their meal, and chew it up faster and more thoroughly.
01:24:07 That's comforting.
01:24:09 Sharks give birth to a large number of little ones at once.
01:24:13 It depends on the species, of course, but let's say the blue shark is famous for producing
01:24:17 more than 130 pups at a time.
01:24:21 Great White sharks have a more powerful bite than most jungle cats.
01:24:24 A 20-foot-long underwater hunter can produce a force of more than 4,000 pounds per square
01:24:30 inch.
01:24:31 And that's a bite four times stronger than that of a lion or tiger.
01:24:35 People, with their measly 150-200 psi bites, aren't in the running whatsoever.
01:24:42 Swell sharks defend themselves by swallowing huge amounts of water.
01:24:46 Then the shark's body becomes twice its normal size.
01:24:49 And this scares potential danger away.
01:24:52 Sharks can grow more than 50,000 teeth during their lifetime.
01:24:56 But not all of their teeth are the same.
01:24:58 The strongest and most massive ones are at the front, and those closer to the back are
01:25:02 smaller and not so powerful.
01:25:05 But if the front teeth are damaged, these weaker ones can replace them.
01:25:09 It's possible because sharks' teeth aren't as deeply rooted as humans' and can move.
01:25:14 Shark skin has the same feel as sandpaper.
01:25:17 It's made of teeny, teeth-like scales.
01:25:20 They point towards the animal's tail.
01:25:22 This helps to reduce the friction that occurs when sharks move through the water.
01:25:26 Whale sharks have extremely thick skin.
01:25:29 In some places on their body, it can be 6 inches thick.
01:25:32 It's one of the toughest in the animal world.
01:25:35 Scientists have to make loads of effort if they want to get this creature's blood sample.
01:25:40 Sharks have an incredible sense of smell.
01:25:42 But besides that, they use one more sense to detect other animals.
01:25:46 There are special pores around their head, near the nostrils, and under the snout.
01:25:52 Those are special organs, something like second sight.
01:25:55 Every creature generates a tiny electrical field.
01:25:58 Thanks to the pores, sharks can spot these electrical fields and figure out where other
01:26:03 animals are.
01:26:05 Sharks are incredibly sharp-eared.
01:26:07 They can hear their potential meal from 3,000 feet away.
01:26:10 They can also catch low-frequency sounds, like the ones produced by a fish's contracting
01:26:15 muscle tissue.
01:26:17 Sharks have been around for more than 400 million years.
01:26:20 It means they've lived through 4 out of 5 mass extinctions.
01:26:24 This makes them way older than Mount Everest, humans, dinosaurs, and even trees.
01:26:29 These creatures go back to the period when coral reefs were just beginning to form.
01:26:35 Some shark species can jump out of the water, like the great white shark or the basking
01:26:39 shark.
01:26:40 They're known to leap for more than 8 feet up into the air.
01:26:43 Thanks to this maneuver, they can catch such animals as seals or seabirds.
01:26:48 But unless you're in South Africa, you aren't likely to see sharks jumping out of the water.
01:26:53 Shark skeletons are made of muscle and cartilage, which are lighter and twice less dense than
01:26:58 bones.
01:26:59 This makes sharks more flexible, which allows them to make sharp turns when they're chasing
01:27:03 other animals.
01:27:05 Hammerhead sharks have a weirdly-shaped head for a reason.
01:27:08 Thanks to it, these creatures have incredible 360-degree vision.
01:27:13 Their eyes are tilted a bit forward, and it allows them to have an overlapping field of
01:27:18 view.
01:27:19 The goblin shark's terrifying jaws are attached to elastic ligaments.
01:27:23 They can unfold from the animal's snout for up to 3 inches.
01:27:27 It allows the animal to catapult its mouth forward to catch other marine creatures.
01:27:32 Sharks don't sleep as you do.
01:27:34 Some species have to keep swimming all the time.
01:27:37 Otherwise, water will stop flowing through their gills, and they won't be able to breathe.
01:27:42 Others do rest, but they don't enter an unconscious state.
01:27:45 They just go into special rest periods.
01:27:48 These creatures don't have eyelids.
01:27:50 That's why their eyes remain always open, and their pupils monitor their surroundings.
01:27:54 They also keep their mouth open so that the water can pass through their gills.
01:27:59 Sharks can travel remarkably long distances without needing any rest.
01:28:04 All thanks to their bizarre sleeping pattern.
01:28:06 For example, great whites can swim distances of more than 2,000 miles without stopping
01:28:11 to eat or rest.
01:28:13 How come these creatures don't starve?
01:28:15 They draw on the fat stored in their livers.
01:28:18 By the way, this organ can compose up to a third of the animal's body weight.
01:28:23 Contrary to popular belief, sharks do not and cannot swim in reverse.
01:28:28 Their tails propel them forward, and their pectoral fins help them to keep their balance
01:28:33 and turn.
01:28:34 It means that, anatomically, these animals can't move in any direction other than forward.
01:28:40 Sharks have no vocal cords.
01:28:42 They can't produce sounds to communicate with one another or express their emotions.
01:28:46 That's why they have to use body movements like twisting their bodies or flipping over.
01:28:51 Sharks live in all of the world's oceans, but several species also inhabit freshwater
01:28:56 rivers and lakes.
01:28:57 For instance, bull sharks have been found in tropical rivers.
01:29:00 They're also known to be able to swim between fresh and salt water.
01:29:05 The smallest shark out there is the dwarf lantern shark.
01:29:09 This unique creature doesn't grow longer than 8 inches.
01:29:13 But the shark makes up for its tiny size in other ways.
01:29:16 For example, some of its organs emit light.
01:29:19 And since the creature lives in the shallow waters, this helps to camouflage it in the
01:29:23 rays of sunlight.
01:29:25 Blue sharks eat a lot, often more than they need.
01:29:29 Some of this food can remain undigested for weeks till it's needed for energy.
01:29:34 Sharks have something that looks similar to a tongue.
01:29:37 But this organ is called the bashaw.
01:29:39 It's the front section of the cartilage that goes from the shark's chest to its
01:29:43 mouth.
01:29:44 It doesn't move and is pretty much useless.
01:29:47 The so-called tongue doesn't take part in the process of feeding.
01:29:50 It isn't covered in taste buds.
01:29:52 Its only real use might be that it supports some of the bones connecting the shark's
01:29:57 gills.
01:29:58 There are hundreds of shark species in the world.
01:30:00 More precisely, around 500.
01:30:03 Some of them are pretty bizarre.
01:30:05 Just look at the goblin, basking, or cookie-cutter shark.
01:30:09 All these sharks vary in size, from several inches to dozens of feet long.
01:30:13 They also live in absolutely different environments.
01:30:17 Tiger sharks eat whatever they can get their jaws around.
01:30:20 Some of the weirdest things they've munched on are video cameras, bags of money, license
01:30:25 plates (from almost any US state), dog leashes, you name it.
01:30:30 Each whale shark has a unique pattern on its skin.
01:30:33 These spots and stripes can be used to identify individual sharks, just like fingerprints
01:30:38 are used to identify people.
01:30:40 The blunt-nosed six-gill shark can dive to a depth as great as 5 Empire State Buildings.
01:30:47 Baby sharks are called pups.
01:30:49 When they get born or hatch, they are already fully nourished.
01:30:53 And if they choose to swim away from their mama shark, they don't need to hunt for
01:30:57 food for at least several weeks.
01:30:59 Uh-oh, did somebody say "baby shark"?
01:31:04 The water is bubbling under the fishing boat as if something is coming up out of the water.
01:31:09 It gets closer and closer.
01:31:11 The water seems to boil.
01:31:13 Suddenly, you see giant jaws and glistening teeth.
01:31:16 Seconds later, a huge shark jumps out of the water and crushes the boat in one bite.
01:31:21 It was the megalodon, the largest fish that ever existed on Earth.
01:31:25 Now we pictured the megalodon as this, an enlarged version of the white shark for a
01:31:30 long time.
01:31:31 But scientists continue to argue about its appearance.
01:31:34 So far, they agree that the image of this giant shark was wrong.
01:31:38 Here's the data that scientists are sure of.
01:31:41 Size, about 50 feet long.
01:31:43 That's as big as a school bus and comparable to the length of a subway car.
01:31:48 8.5 times the height of an average person.
01:31:51 Let's compare it to the modern white shark.
01:31:53 The megalodon is 3 times bigger, but that's just a rough estimate.
01:31:59 We don't have a fully preserved skeleton of the megalodon.
01:32:02 That's because it didn't have any bones but cartilage.
01:32:06 Not much of that left in the 3.6 million years since the megalodons went extinct.
01:32:11 All that survived were teeth and a few vertebrae.
01:32:14 By comparison, dinosaurs went extinct about 66 million years ago.
01:32:18 But their solid bones are perfectly preserved, and we have many different examples of their
01:32:23 appearance.
01:32:25 Scientists have calculated the size of a megalodon based on its teeth and jaw.
01:32:29 Now, this is one tooth.
01:32:31 It's about 7 inches long, bigger than the palm of your hand, and 3 times the size of
01:32:37 a modern white shark's teeth.
01:32:39 The megalodon jaw was 6 feet wide and chalked up 5 rows of teeth.
01:32:43 A total of 276 razor-sharp chompers.
01:32:47 The other preserved remains are the vertebral column.
01:32:51 They consist of 150 vertebrae, each 6 inches wide.
01:32:55 They contain much calcium because, well, megalodon love fresh cold milk.
01:33:00 Nah, it's because the vertebrae had to withstand the enormous mass of a giant shark.
01:33:05 Based on those fossils, scientists created a model and calculated only the approximate
01:33:10 size of the megalodon.
01:33:12 But it could hardly have been any bigger.
01:33:14 It's all about breathing.
01:33:16 The bigger the fish, the more oxygen it needs.
01:33:19 Which means a larger gill area.
01:33:21 That's the organ that filters the water and collects oxygen.
01:33:24 If the megalodon were any larger, it would have trouble breathing.
01:33:28 So scientists believe that 50 feet is the maximum size of an individual.
01:33:33 On average, they were a few feet smaller.
01:33:36 Now, let's talk weight.
01:33:38 On average, one megalodon weighed about 30 to 35 tons.
01:33:43 By comparison, a white shark weighs 1 ton, which is 30 times less.
01:33:47 Hey, trust me.
01:33:48 A school bus is 4 times lighter at 7.5 tons.
01:33:52 The weight of a megalodon can be compared to an empty Boeing 737.
01:33:57 But the modern blue whale beats the megalodon in size and weight.
01:34:01 98 feet long vs 50, almost twice as long.
01:34:06 Blue whale's weight is about 180 tons.
01:34:09 That's like 6 megalodons or 6 passenger planes.
01:34:12 Or like 33 adult elephants.
01:34:14 Hey, don't you love the comparisons?
01:34:16 Now, about the appearance of the megalodon.
01:34:20 Scientists believe it didn't look like a white shark.
01:34:22 The megalodon belongs to a different fish family and most likely looked like a giant
01:34:27 sand tiger shark.
01:34:28 Flattened snout, small eyes.
01:34:31 Its dorsal fin is moved backwards.
01:34:33 The sand shark has two dorsal fins about the same size.
01:34:37 The coloration is light brown with a white belly and may have had brown-red spots like
01:34:42 a sand shark all over its body.
01:34:45 We used to think of the megalodon as something scary from the first finds of its fossils.
01:34:50 That was back in the Renaissance era.
01:34:52 People found some teeth in the rocks.
01:34:54 At first, these teeth were thought to be the tongues of dragons or snakes.
01:34:58 And here's the first drawing of what the owner of these teeth supposedly looked like.
01:35:02 A massive snout with a scary nose and a bunch of razor-sharp teeth.
01:35:08 We also have the evidence that megalodons were brutal hunters, kings of the food chain.
01:35:13 The first combat tool in their arsenal was the battering ram.
01:35:16 The megalodon was a slow swimmer, though.
01:35:19 It could only accelerate up to 11 mph.
01:35:22 In comparison, the modern white shark can reach 35 mph in a dash for its meal.
01:35:28 The fastest human swimmer could only go 6 mph.
01:35:31 Well, good luck with that!
01:35:33 But the megalodon had incredible mass.
01:35:36 Though slow, its battering ram had tremendous power.
01:35:40 The megalodon would take its prey by surprise.
01:35:43 It had only one chance to hit it.
01:35:44 If it missed, it would take too long for a second round.
01:35:48 The maneuverability of the megalodon was comparable to a large truck.
01:35:52 But if the ram was successful, the prey was stunned and couldn't move.
01:35:57 At this point, the megalodon aimed at vulnerable spots, like the fins and tail of the prey.
01:36:03 Scientists have found many ancient whale remains with megalodon tooth marks.
01:36:08 It turned out that the giant shark knew where its prey's vital organs were located and could
01:36:12 strike at them.
01:36:14 When the prey was immobilized, the megalodon bared its teeth.
01:36:18 An adult person could easily fit into its open jaw at full height.
01:36:21 And according to various estimates, the bite force of the megalodon was almost 11 tons.
01:36:27 Now imagine the weight of 3 SUVs concentrated at the tip of a sharp tooth.
01:36:33 That's 9 times the power of the largest white shark bite, and 6 times the power of
01:36:38 the modern record holder for biting, the saltwater crocodile.
01:36:42 Here look at a map of where the remains of the megalodon were found.
01:36:47 South and North America, Europe, Asia, Australia.
01:36:50 It was the master of all seas and was comfortable anywhere on our planet.
01:36:55 We've even found some remains of the giant shark in freshwater sediments.
01:36:59 Perhaps it wasn't afraid to enter rivers to hunt.
01:37:03 Now other scientists say that maybe the megalodon wasn't even a predator.
01:37:07 All because of its size.
01:37:08 It couldn't swim fast.
01:37:10 It couldn't even make short dashes like the white shark.
01:37:13 If prey tried to escape, the megalodon didn't rush into pursuit because it could never catch
01:37:18 up with it.
01:37:20 Another problem is the skeleton of the megalodon.
01:37:22 The cartilage is weaker than the bones, so the musculature of the giant shark was not
01:37:28 as massive and robust in the first place.
01:37:31 The megalodon may even have been a scavenger and never got into fights.
01:37:35 This is one of the reasons why ancient sharks became extinct.
01:37:40 Megalodons like shallow warm waters with temperatures ranging from 53 degrees Fahrenheit.
01:37:45 But over 3 million years ago, the climate turned colder.
01:37:49 This deprived the megalodons of territories and plenty of food.
01:37:53 The primitive whales that had been the main diet of the giant sharks began to disappear.
01:37:59 Faster predators took the remnants of food.
01:38:01 The megalodon started to starve.
01:38:04 In evolution, a new player entered the field - the toothed whales, ancestors of the modern
01:38:09 killer whales.
01:38:10 They lived in packs and had bigger brains than the megalodon.
01:38:14 So over time, they started to compete with the megalodon.
01:38:17 They took advantage of its clumsiness.
01:38:20 A group of killer whales could easily win a competition against a giant shark.
01:38:24 Many scientists believe this was the reason for the disappearance of the largest shark
01:38:28 in the world.
01:38:30 And there are theories that the megalodon is still alive and roaming the dark waters
01:38:34 of our planet.
01:38:36 Several Australian fishers have allegedly encountered a shark of incredible size.
01:38:41 But no one can confirm these testimonies.
01:38:45 Fans of this theory believe that giant sharks can hide in deep waters away from human eyes.
01:38:51 In the Mariana Trench, for example, it's the deepest place on our planet.
01:38:55 It's deeper than if you stuck Mount Everest in the water.
01:38:58 We've even found the teeth of a megalodon there.
01:39:02 But science says that such a giant shark couldn't live in the Mariana Trench for many reasons.
01:39:07 One, it's too cold.
01:39:09 The megalodon was probably a cold-blooded fish, so it had to use the warmth of its environment
01:39:14 to survive.
01:39:15 But the water in the Mariana Trench is cold, about 40 degrees Fahrenheit.
01:39:20 That's because the deeper down, the less sunlight gets in there.
01:39:23 The second reason is pressure.
01:39:25 Every 30 feet deep increases the pressure by 1 atmosphere.
01:39:29 That is, at the depth of 100 feet, the water presses you 3 times harder than you would
01:39:34 feel it at the surface.
01:39:35 The weak muscles and cartilage of the megalodon wouldn't allow it to dive too deep into the
01:39:40 Mariana Trench.
01:39:41 And most importantly, food.
01:39:44 The farther from the ocean's surface, the fewer living organisms.
01:39:48 Megalodons used to eat primitive whales, ranging from 10 to 20 feet.
01:39:52 Small fish only inhabit the Mariana Trench.
01:39:55 A megalodon would never be able to catch one.
01:39:58 And judging by its size, all the megalodon did was eat and then look for food again.
01:40:04 Compare its weight to that of a human.
01:40:06 The average human should get about 2,000 calories a day, with an average weight of about 180
01:40:11 pounds.
01:40:12 The megalodon weighed 470 times that, and needed many more calories.
01:40:17 So even all the fish inhabiting the Mariana Trench could hardly feed a megalodon for even
01:40:23 a few days.
01:40:25 So all these theories, of course, are not true.
01:40:28 But still, it's just smart to be careful out there.
01:40:31 Know what I mean?
01:40:36 So you're swimming 2 miles down at the bottom of the ocean.
01:40:40 Don't ask me how, just play along.
01:40:42 It's cold and the pressure is intense.
01:40:45 No fish in sight.
01:40:47 Then you notice a green shiny thing.
01:40:49 It's a cookie-cutter shark.
01:40:52 Its neck glows in the dark to attract fish and other delicious treats.
01:40:57 The shark doesn't look like much.
01:40:59 It's small, about the size of a cat.
01:41:01 It has brown skin and large green eyes.
01:41:05 But looks can be deceiving.
01:41:07 Every night, this creature rises to the surface and goes after great white sharks, whales,
01:41:12 even swordfish.
01:41:14 If you look closely, you'll see a round mouth with a bunch of sharp teeth in it.
01:41:18 They don't just bite, they work kind of like a saw.
01:41:22 This one's called a cookie-cutter shark because when it sees something delicious, it takes
01:41:27 a cookie-shaped bite out of it.
01:41:29 These sharks have even been known to disable submarines.
01:41:32 Wonder what flavor they are?
01:41:34 Our next shark is about the length of a car.
01:41:37 Only about a hundred of these sharks have ever been seen, but if you met one, you'd
01:41:42 never forget it.
01:41:43 It has a big mouth, a huge mouth, a mega mouth, like me!
01:41:48 It's the mega-mouthed shark.
01:41:50 You could easily fit in it if you curled yourself up.
01:41:53 They're not dangerous, though.
01:41:54 Not to humans.
01:41:55 They feed by swimming around with their mouths open, filtering out plankton and other underwater
01:42:01 goodies.
01:42:02 The shark has special organs in its mouth that glow, attracting little crustaceans.
01:42:08 It swims deep in the ocean in total darkness.
01:42:11 Probably has a great smile, though.
01:42:14 Thresher sharks also have a huge body part – the tail.
01:42:17 It's almost half the length of the shark itself, and it looks like a helicopter blade.
01:42:22 It's one of the few animals that hunts using its tail.
01:42:26 The shark sneaks up on a school of fish and starts to shake its money-maker.
01:42:31 This freaks out some of the fish, which is exactly the plan.
01:42:35 In a pinch, it can also use its tail to defend itself.
01:42:39 The best thing about this shark – it doesn't attack people.
01:42:42 The angel shark.
01:42:44 There are quite a few types of angel shark out there, but they're more shark than angel.
01:42:49 They're flat like stingrays, and their skin is covered with patterns that help them blend
01:42:54 in with the seafloor.
01:42:56 Because of this disguise, divers sometimes accidentally touch them, which isn't the
01:43:01 best idea.
01:43:02 They're fast and have powerful jaws.
01:43:04 Still, they prefer the taste of small fish to you.
01:43:09 The horn shark has two ridges that look like horns right above its eyes.
01:43:14 It's definitely the grandpa of the shark world.
01:43:17 Not aggressive, swims pretty slowly, and is up late almost every night.
01:43:21 It's two favorite meals – sea urchins and crustaceans.
01:43:25 It moves its fin on the seafloor almost as if it had paws.
01:43:29 But don't underestimate this guy – it has one of the strongest bites of any shark.
01:43:35 It needs those strong teeth to crush the shells of its late-night meals.
01:43:39 And if something tries to attack it, watch out!
01:43:43 Horn sharks have sharp spikes on their fins.
01:43:46 The award for the ugliest shark goes to the goblin shark.
01:43:50 And it's not even close.
01:43:52 From the outside, it already looks kinda weird, and is about the size of a pink underwater
01:43:57 motorbike.
01:43:58 It has a long tail and a seriously long nose.
01:44:02 It lives way down in the depths of the ocean and loves to eat squid.
01:44:06 It's not as fast as its relatives, but it's way more sneaky.
01:44:11 It has a secret squid-catching technique which is totally wild.
01:44:15 The shark swims behind the squid.
01:44:17 It's catching up, getting closer and closer.
01:44:20 But the squid isn't slowing down, no way!
01:44:23 It looks like the poor goblin shark won't have any lunch today.
01:44:26 Then it opens its mouth.
01:44:29 Its jaw is attached to folds of skin that mean it can literally throw its jaw out of
01:44:35 its mouth.
01:44:36 And it's a shark, so those teeth are sharp.
01:44:39 That extra reach helps it grab its lunch, and when the meal's over, it pops its jaw
01:44:44 back in its mouth.
01:44:46 These sharks have been seen many times off the coast of Japan.
01:44:49 They're actually named after the goblins in Japanese myths and fairy tales.
01:44:54 There's only one thing out there cooler than a ninja shark.
01:44:58 It's the ninja lantern shark.
01:45:01 Imagine there's a tube you can slide down that takes you to the bottom of the ocean.
01:45:05 It's too dark, you can't see anything.
01:45:08 Suddenly, a glowing dot, moving around in the distance.
01:45:12 It's coming closer, shooting towards you.
01:45:15 It's a blue, glowing head.
01:45:17 Worse, it looks like this head doesn't have a body attached to it.
01:45:22 The ninja lantern shark has black skin, so it's almost invisible in the dark.
01:45:27 It's only the size of a human arm, but its small, sharp teeth are no joke.
01:45:33 No one really knows why this shark glows.
01:45:35 Maybe to attract tasty fish?
01:45:37 Another theory out there is that it uses this light to communicate with its friends.
01:45:42 It has friends?
01:45:44 The hammerhead shark.
01:45:46 These ferocious sharks can weigh up to half a ton.
01:45:49 They live in tropical waters all over the world, and they're one of the most recognizable
01:45:54 sharks out there.
01:45:55 Their eyes really are located on the sides of their hammerhead.
01:46:00 This means they can see in almost all directions.
01:46:03 They even have special neck muscles to lift their head up and down just to see that little
01:46:08 bit better.
01:46:10 Their favorite food?
01:46:11 Stingrays.
01:46:12 You know, those flat things that swim along the seafloor, camouflaged to look like sand
01:46:17 and bits of rock?
01:46:19 Stingrays get by by blending in with their surroundings.
01:46:22 Danger mostly just swims by.
01:46:25 But the hammerhead's eyes see everything.
01:46:28 Uh-oh.
01:46:30 Great white sharks, hammerheads, and other large sharks live for about 25 years.
01:46:35 But one shark can live much, much longer.
01:46:39 The Greenland shark can live anywhere from 300 to 500 years.
01:46:44 It lives mostly in the North Atlantic and Arctic oceans.
01:46:47 It loves to swim deep down where it's dark, so it uses its nose to sniff out food.
01:46:54 Since it spends so much time down there, it's figured out how to withstand the strong pressure.
01:46:59 It's one of the oldest living, largest, and slowest fish on Earth.
01:47:04 Just imagine, you're on an Arctic cruise, and you see one of these sharks, moving slowly
01:47:09 through the freezing cold water.
01:47:11 It might be 400 years older than you.
01:47:14 Most sharks are omnivorous.
01:47:16 They can go after dolphins, other sharks, crabs, sea urchins, smaller or even larger
01:47:22 fish, hot dogs (kidding about the hot dogs).
01:47:26 But the bonnethead shark is a bit different.
01:47:29 It eats algae for about half its meals.
01:47:31 It's actually related to the hammerhead shark, but its head looks more like a shovel.
01:47:37 Can you dig it?
01:47:38 If you see this guy swimming around, you might think it's a sea snake or a huge water worm.
01:47:45 Frilled sharks like to swim way down at the bottom of the ocean like a lot of sharks.
01:47:50 When they're chasing something delicious, they move kind of like a snake.
01:47:55 And just like a snake, they like to gulp down their lunch all in one piece.
01:47:59 But that doesn't mean they don't have teeth.
01:48:02 They have about 200 nice and sharp ones.
01:48:05 The saw shark has a long, flat, and seriously spiky nose.
01:48:10 Those teeth on its nose never stop growing.
01:48:13 Each tooth is equipped with electric receptors to help the saw shark feel around for nearby
01:48:18 fish like a ship's radar.
01:48:21 When dinner's nearby, the shark swims up and strikes with its nose, waving it around
01:48:26 like a knight showing off his skills.
01:48:29 Meanwhile, you won't have time to blink if this guy floats past.
01:48:34 Did you see it?
01:48:35 How about now?
01:48:36 Meet the fastest shark in the world, the shortfin mako shark.
01:48:40 It can swim up to 35 mph.
01:48:43 That doesn't seem that quick on land, but underwater, that's fast!
01:48:48 Slower than a cheetah, but faster than most dogs.
01:48:51 It's warm-blooded, which is super rare for a shark.
01:48:54 That helps it swim to cold and distant places where an ordinary shark simply wouldn't
01:49:00 survive.
01:49:01 The swordfish goes much faster.
01:49:03 It can swim up to 60 mph.
01:49:05 It's not a shark, but it's still an amazing creature.
01:49:09 In a race, the swordfish will usually come out on top.
01:49:12 But it's not just fast, it's ingeniously fast.
01:49:17 It has a gland next to its nose that pumps out a special oil.
01:49:21 This oil spreads through its nose and comes out through tiny holes.
01:49:25 This special oil is waterproof, which lets the swordfish glide through the water at high
01:49:31 speed.
01:49:35 Hello distinguished guests and welcome to Aquarium Bright!
01:49:39 Here you will get to see the most dangerous sea and ocean creatures.
01:49:42 But don't let what I said mislead you.
01:49:44 It's very well possible for you to come across one of these underwater animals during a walk
01:49:49 on the beach.
01:49:51 So take a look at them carefully now and you might just avoid a disaster.
01:49:57 Is it fish or is it stone?
01:50:00 What you're looking at is commonly known as the stonefish, but its fancier names include
01:50:04 the doornorn and the sinansia.
01:50:08 If you're into diving and observing the underwater, you might already have come across one without
01:50:13 noticing.
01:50:14 Its appearance makes it almost impossible to distinguish it from a real stone due to
01:50:19 its grey coloration and mottled appearance.
01:50:22 Especially if you're wearing fogged snorkel goggles, so you better pay attention because
01:50:26 otherwise the consequences can be unfortunate since stonefish are the most venomous fish
01:50:32 known.
01:50:33 Although some types of stonefishes are known to live in rivers, and most of them are found
01:50:37 in coral reefs near the tropical Pacific and Indian oceans.
01:50:42 Their needle-like dorsal fin spines stick up when they're disturbed or threatened and
01:50:46 inject the poison they contain.
01:50:49 The most common reason why stonefish stings occur is swimmers stepping on them without
01:50:53 realizing it.
01:50:54 However, you don't need to be in the water to get stung.
01:50:58 Since they can survive out of the water for up to 24 hours, you'll have to watch where
01:51:02 you step when you're at the beach as well.
01:51:04 Those who got stung by stonefish describe their experience to be extremely distressing.
01:51:10 Their venom can result in infection and in some cases it is known to cause shock and
01:51:15 paralysis.
01:51:16 It might come as a bit of a shock, but despite its bad reputation, stonefish is edible if
01:51:22 it's prepared properly.
01:51:24 When the fish is heated, its venom breaks down.
01:51:26 And if the dorsal fins, which are the main source of its venom, are removed, raw stonefish
01:51:31 is served as part of sashimi too.
01:51:35 This creature might look like it came out of a science fiction movie, but it's very
01:51:39 much real.
01:51:40 Say hello to the blue-ringed octopuses.
01:51:43 Don't be deceived by their small size, which can range between 5 to 8 inches including
01:51:48 their arms, because they're packed with venom to cause great damage to as many as
01:51:52 26 people within minutes!
01:51:56 Just like stonefishes, blue-ringed octopuses are found in the Pacific and Indian Oceans,
01:52:01 from Japan to Australia.
01:52:03 They typically live on coral reefs and rocky areas of the sea floor.
01:52:08 Some may also be found in tide pools, seagrass, and algal beds.
01:52:13 Blue-ringed octopuses are not aggressive in nature.
01:52:16 When they're not seeking food such as crabs or shrimps, or searching for a mate, they
01:52:20 often hide in marine debris, shells, or crevices.
01:52:24 It's only if they're provoked, cornered, or handled that they get dangerous to humans.
01:52:29 When they're threatened, they turn bright yellow or blue iridescent rings appear all
01:52:34 over their body as a warning display towards the potential predators.
01:52:39 Their bites usually come unnoticed, so you might not be able to realize you're bitten
01:52:43 until it's too late.
01:52:45 The venom of a blue-ringed octopus can cause dizziness and loss of senses and motor skills,
01:52:50 and ultimately paralysis.
01:52:52 So better try to keep your hands to yourself and back away in a hurry if you see one.
01:52:58 Nope, it's not a flower bouquet, so don't try to pick and smell one of those pink tube-like
01:53:03 things.
01:53:04 What's standing before your eyes is a marine animal called a flower urchin.
01:53:10 It may look gorgeous, but don't let the looks deceive you.
01:53:13 It was named the most dangerous sea urchin in the 2014 Guinness World Records.
01:53:18 Flower urchins inhabit the tropical areas of the Indo-West Pacific and are found among
01:53:23 coral reefs, rocks, sand, and seagrass depths at depths of 0 to 295 feet.
01:53:31 The most noticeable feature of them is their pedicularia, which are claw-shaped defensive
01:53:36 organs that are also found in sea stars.
01:53:39 What makes flower urchins differ from any other sea urchin is the fact that their pedicularia
01:53:43 is, as the name suggests, flower-like, and usually pinkish-white to yellowish-white in
01:53:49 color with a central purple dot.
01:53:52 Hidden underneath those flowers, they possess short and blunt spines.
01:53:57 Although many sea urchins deliver their venom through such spines, flower urchins deliver
01:54:02 their venom through their pedicularia, or flowers.
01:54:05 If they're undisturbed, the tips of these flowers are usually expanded into round, cup-like
01:54:11 shapes.
01:54:12 On their surface, they possess tiny sensors with which they can detect threats, and once
01:54:17 they contact such threats, these flowers immediately snap shut and start injecting venom.
01:54:23 What's weird is that the little claws of the flowers can sometimes break off from their
01:54:28 stalks, stick to the point of contact, and continue injecting venom for hours into whoever
01:54:33 touched it.
01:54:35 Yeesh!
01:54:37 Looks like a giant puddle of melted strawberry ice cream, right?
01:54:41 You wish!
01:54:42 It's a lion's mane jellyfish, which is also called giant jellyfish, arctic red jellyfish,
01:54:48 or hairy jelly.
01:54:49 They're known to prefer cool water, that's why they can mostly be found in the Arctic,
01:54:55 Northern Atlantic, and Northern Pacific Oceans.
01:54:58 But it's possible to spot them around the British Isles or in the Scandinavian waters
01:55:03 too.
01:55:04 Lion's mane jellyfish are one of the largest known species of jellyfish.
01:55:09 They get their name from their long, flowing, hair-like tentacles and can reach lengths
01:55:14 up to 10 feet.
01:55:15 And although the average bell diameter of a lion's mane jellyfish is around 20 inches,
01:55:21 they can sometimes attain a diameter of over 7 feet!
01:55:25 The largest lion's mane jellyfish recorded was seen in 1865 off the coast of Massachusetts.
01:55:32 It was measured to have tentacles around 125 feet long and a diameter of 7 feet.
01:55:38 To help you picture it, this is longer than a blue whale!
01:55:43 Lion's mane jellyfish hunt by extending their tentacles outward and creating a trap
01:55:47 to catch their food.
01:55:49 Since they have around 1,200 stinging tentacles, the fish would have to be extremely lucky
01:55:55 to be able to escape them.
01:55:57 The sting of a lion's mane jellyfish is usually not life-threatening, but you would
01:56:02 still want to avoid swimming into its tentacles because it can be very painful to humans.
01:56:07 And if you see one washed up on the beach, better not touch it because it can still deliver
01:56:11 a sting long after they've been on the shore.
01:56:14 Fun fact, the lion's mane jellyfish appears in the Sherlock Holmes story, "The Adventure
01:56:19 of the Lion's Mane" as a suspect.
01:56:22 But don't worry, we won't give you any spoilers!
01:56:26 The last marine animal you're seeing now is a sea snake, and yes, they are different
01:56:31 from eels.
01:56:32 There are 69 identified species of sea snakes.
01:56:36 Most of them can be found in the tropical and subtropical waters of the Indian and Pacific
01:56:41 Oceans, and they have been around for millions of years.
01:56:45 To make things easier, scientists have separated all different species of sea snakes into two
01:56:51 categories, true sea snakes and sea kraits.
01:56:55 Whereas true sea snakes spend almost all their time at sea, sea kraits can spend some time
01:57:00 on land as well.
01:57:02 If you see a snake on the beach, you can tell whether it's a land or sea snake by looking
01:57:07 at its tail.
01:57:08 If it's paddle-like, then that's a sea snake you got there, but make sure to keep
01:57:13 your distance in both cases.
01:57:15 All sea snakes need to surface regularly to breathe since they have no gills.
01:57:20 That's why you can come across one while swimming.
01:57:23 If that happens, you better swim away as fast as you can because most sea snakes have more
01:57:27 venom than the average cobra or rattlesnake.
01:57:30 However, since they only attack if provoked, bites are quite rare.
01:57:36 One more cool fact about sea snakes – they are the only reptiles to give birth in the
01:57:41 oceans.
01:57:42 The majority of sea snakes keep the eggs within themselves and give birth to nearly fully
01:57:46 formed snakes while swimming.
01:57:48 That's except for the yellow-lipped sea krait, though.
01:57:51 They come onto land to lay eggs of their little ones.
01:57:54 Remember the stonefish from the beginning of our tour?
01:57:57 They're hunted by sea snakes.
01:57:59 Blame the food chain!
01:58:02 So you're swimming 2 miles down at the bottom of the ocean.
01:58:06 Don't ask me how, just play along.
01:58:08 It's cold and the pressure is intense.
01:58:11 No fish in sight.
01:58:13 Then you notice a green shiny thing.
01:58:15 It's a cookie-cutter shark.
01:58:18 Its neck glows in the dark to attract fish and other delicious treats.
01:58:23 The shark doesn't look like much.
01:58:25 It's small, about the size of a cat.
01:58:27 It has brown skin and large green eyes.
01:58:30 But looks can be deceiving.
01:58:33 Every night, this creature rises to the surface and goes after great white sharks, whales,
01:58:38 even swordfish.
01:58:40 If you look closely, you'll see a round mouth with a bunch of sharp teeth in it.
01:58:44 They don't just bite, they work kind of like a saw.
01:58:48 This one's called a cookie-cutter shark because when it sees something delicious, it takes
01:58:53 a cookie-shaped bite out of it.
01:58:55 These sharks have even been known to disable submarines.
01:58:58 Wonder what flavor they are?
01:59:00 Our next shark is about the length of a car.
01:59:03 Only about a hundred of these sharks have ever been seen, but if you met one, you'd
01:59:08 never forget it.
01:59:09 It has a big mouth, a huge mouth, a mega mouth, like me!
01:59:13 It's the mega-mouthed shark.
01:59:15 You could easily fit in it if you curled yourself up.
01:59:18 They're not dangerous, though.
01:59:20 Not to humans.
01:59:21 They feed by swimming around with their mouths open, filtering out plankton and other underwater
01:59:27 goodies.
01:59:28 The shark has special organs in its mouth that glow, attracting little crustaceans.
01:59:34 It swims deep in the ocean in total darkness.
01:59:37 Probably has a great smile, though.
01:59:39 Thresher sharks also have a huge body part – the tail.
01:59:43 It's almost half the length of the shark itself, and it looks like a helicopter blade.
01:59:48 It's one of the few animals that hunts using its tail.
01:59:52 The shark snakes up on a school of fish and starts to shake its money-maker.
01:59:57 This freaks out some of the fish, which is exactly the plan.
02:00:01 In a pinch, it can also use its tail to defend itself.
02:00:05 The best thing about this shark – it doesn't attack people.
02:00:08 The angel shark There are quite a few types of angel shark
02:00:12 out there, but they're more shark than angel.
02:00:15 They're flat like stingrays, and their skin is covered with patterns that help them blend
02:00:20 in with the seafloor.
02:00:22 Because of this disguise, divers sometimes accidentally touch them, which isn't the
02:00:27 best idea.
02:00:28 They're fast and have powerful jaws.
02:00:30 Still, they prefer the taste of small fish to you.
02:00:35 The horn shark has two ridges that look like horns right above its eyes.
02:00:39 It's definitely the grandpa of the shark world.
02:00:43 Not aggressive, swims pretty slowly, and is up late almost every night.
02:00:47 It's two favorite meals – sea urchins and crustaceans.
02:00:51 It moves its fin on the seafloor almost as if it had paws.
02:00:55 But don't underestimate this guy – it has one of the strongest bites of any shark.
02:01:00 It needs those strong teeth to crush the shells of its late-night meals.
02:01:05 And if something tries to attack it, watch out!
02:01:09 Horn sharks have sharp spikes on their fins.
02:01:12 The award for the ugliest shark goes to the goblin shark.
02:01:16 And it's not even close.
02:01:18 From the outside, it already looks kinda weird, and is about the size of a pink underwater
02:01:23 motorbike.
02:01:24 It has a long tail and a seriously long nose.
02:01:27 It lives way down in the depths of the ocean and loves to eat squid.
02:01:32 It's not as fast as its relatives, but it's way more sneaky.
02:01:36 It has a secret squid-catching technique which is totally wild.
02:01:41 The shark swims behind the squid.
02:01:43 It's catching up, getting closer and closer.
02:01:46 But the squid isn't slowing down, no way!
02:01:48 It looks like the poor goblin shark won't have any lunch today.
02:01:52 Then it opens its mouth.
02:01:55 Its jaw is attached to folds of skin that mean it can literally throw its jaw out of
02:02:00 its mouth.
02:02:01 And it's a shark, so those teeth are sharp.
02:02:05 That extra reach helps it grab its lunch, and when the meal's over, it pops its jaw
02:02:10 back in its mouth.
02:02:12 These sharks have been seen many times off the coast of Japan.
02:02:15 They're actually named after the goblins in Japanese myths and fairy tales.
02:02:20 There's only one thing out there cooler than a ninja shark.
02:02:24 It's the ninja lantern shark.
02:02:27 Imagine there's a tube you can slide down that takes you to the bottom of the ocean.
02:02:31 It's too dark, you can't see anything.
02:02:34 Suddenly a glowing dot, moving around in the distance.
02:02:38 It's coming closer, shooting towards you.
02:02:41 It's a blue glowing head.
02:02:43 Worse, it looks like this head doesn't have a body attached to it.
02:02:47 The ninja lantern shark has black skin, so it's almost invisible in the dark.
02:02:53 It's only the size of a human arm, but its small, sharp teeth are no joke.
02:02:58 No one really knows why this shark glows.
02:03:01 Maybe to attract tasty fish?
02:03:04 Another theory out there is that it uses this light to communicate with its friends.
02:03:08 It has friends?
02:03:10 The hammerhead shark.
02:03:12 These ferocious sharks can weigh up to half a ton.
02:03:15 They live in tropical waters all over the world, and they're one of the most recognizable
02:03:19 sharks out there.
02:03:21 Their eyes really are located on the sides of their hammerhead.
02:03:26 This means they can see in almost all directions.
02:03:28 They even have special neck muscles to lift their head up and down just to see that little
02:03:34 bit better.
02:03:36 Their favorite food?
02:03:37 Stingrays.
02:03:38 You know, those flat things that swim along the seafloor, camouflaged to look like sand
02:03:43 and bits of rock?
02:03:45 Stingrays get by by blending in with their surroundings.
02:03:49 Danger mostly just swims by.
02:03:51 But the hammerhead's eyes see everything.
02:03:54 Uh-oh.
02:03:55 Great white sharks, hammerheads, and other large sharks live for about 25 years.
02:04:01 But one shark can live much, much longer.
02:04:04 The Greenland shark can live anywhere from 300 to 500 years.
02:04:10 It lives mostly in the North Atlantic and Arctic oceans.
02:04:13 It loves to swim deep down where it's dark, so it uses its nose to sniff out food.
02:04:20 Since it spends so much time down there, it's figured out how to withstand the strong pressure.
02:04:25 It's one of the oldest living, largest, and slowest fish on Earth.
02:04:30 Just imagine, you're on an Arctic cruise, and you see one of these sharks, moving slowly
02:04:35 through the freezing cold water.
02:04:37 It might be 400 years older than you!
02:04:40 Most sharks are omnivorous.
02:04:42 They can go after dolphins, other sharks, crabs, sea urchins, smaller or even larger
02:04:48 fish, hot dogs (kidding about the hot dogs).
02:04:52 But the bonnethead shark is a bit different.
02:04:55 It eats algae for about half its meals.
02:04:57 It's actually related to the hammerhead shark, but its head looks more like a shovel.
02:05:03 Can you dig it?
02:05:04 If you see this guy swimming around, you might think it's a sea snake or a huge waterworm.
02:05:11 Wild sharks like to swim way down at the bottom of the ocean, like a lot of sharks.
02:05:16 When they're chasing something delicious, they move kind of like a snake.
02:05:21 And just like a snake, they like to gulp down their lunch all in one piece.
02:05:25 But that doesn't mean they don't have teeth.
02:05:28 They have about 200 nice and sharp ones.
02:05:31 The saw shark has a long, flat, and seriously spiky nose.
02:05:36 Those teeth on its nose never stop growing.
02:05:39 Each tooth is equipped with electric receptors to help the saw shark feel around for nearby
02:05:44 fish like a ship's radar.
02:05:47 When dinner's nearby, the shark swims up and strikes with its nose, waving it around
02:05:52 like a knight showing off his skills.
02:05:55 Meanwhile, you won't have time to blink if this guy floats past.
02:06:00 Did you see it?
02:06:01 How about now?
02:06:02 Meet the fastest shark in the world, the shortfin mako shark.
02:06:06 It can swim up to 35 mph.
02:06:09 That doesn't seem that quick on land, but underwater, that's fast!
02:06:14 Slower than a cheetah, but faster than most dogs.
02:06:17 It's warm-blooded, which is super rare for a shark.
02:06:20 That helps it swim to cold and distant places where an ordinary shark simply wouldn't
02:06:26 survive.
02:06:27 The swordfish goes much faster.
02:06:29 It can swim up to 60 mph.
02:06:32 It's not a shark, but it's still an amazing creature.
02:06:35 In a race, the swordfish will usually come out on top.
02:06:38 But it's not just fast, it's ingeniously fast.
02:06:43 It has a gland next to its nose that pumps out a special oil.
02:06:47 This oil spreads through its nose and comes out through tiny holes.
02:06:51 This special oil is waterproof, which lets the swordfish glide through the water at high
02:06:57 speed.
02:06:58 Hey, let's take a deep dive into ocean waters to see which of these creepy-looking animals
02:07:06 are our friends!
02:07:08 We're swimming in the tropical waters of Nanyabalava Island near Fiji.
02:07:13 Can you see those giant creatures the size of a Volkswagen Beetle?
02:07:17 Those are manta rays.
02:07:19 They've got a long, whip-like tail and large, flat diamond bodies.
02:07:23 There are two species of manta rays – the reef manta ray and the giant manta ray.
02:07:29 They belong to the same family as sharks, but they only have small teeth in their lower
02:07:33 jaw.
02:07:35 They feed on zooplankton, tiny fish, and crustaceans.
02:07:39 Manta rays are social animals, and they like people.
02:07:42 Once you let them come close to you, they'll swim around you to observe you.
02:07:46 Don't chase them, though, because they're super-fast swimmers.
02:07:50 Their name translates to "cloak" or "blanket," and out of all sea creatures,
02:07:55 they've got the largest brain compared to body weight ratio.
02:07:59 These fellas can recognize themselves in a mirror.
02:08:03 The Asian Sheepshead Wrasse follows.
02:08:06 Even if it seems unsightly, it's one of the friendliest fish you'll come across
02:08:10 in the shallow waters of Japan, China, and Korea.
02:08:14 It has protrusions on both its jaw and head.
02:08:17 It likes to hide in its anemone, and it's usually scared to go out even at 40 inches
02:08:22 long.
02:08:24 One of these fellas developed a friendship with a Japanese scuba diver 30 years ago.
02:08:29 When the diver found the fish, it was injured, and he helped it recover.
02:08:33 The diver had been the caretaker of an underwater Shinto shrine.
02:08:37 He calls the fish by hitting the underwater bell.
02:08:42 Time to go swimming with the largest fish in the world, the whale shark.
02:08:47 Although these creatures are sharks, they have a lot in common with whales.
02:08:51 They can live for 100 years, though they've got tiny brains.
02:08:55 They're indifferent to humans.
02:08:57 These fellas don't care about anything they can't eat.
02:09:00 And unlike other shark species, they won't bite you.
02:09:04 Whale sharks are filter feeders.
02:09:06 They do have teeth, 3,000 of them, but they don't use them.
02:09:10 They've got a massive mouth, like me, but their throat is only the size of a quarter.
02:09:16 Next, we have the sunfish, a fish without a tail that looks like it's been cut in
02:09:21 half.
02:09:22 It has large fins, and when you see it breaching on the surface, you'll think a shark is
02:09:27 approaching.
02:09:28 The sunfish dives deep in the water to let other fish exfoliate its skin and remove parasites.
02:09:35 Once they're done, it returns to the surface to sunbathe.
02:09:38 It's also a voracious eater.
02:09:41 If it sees you in the waters, it'll likely approach you and observe you.
02:09:45 Within a day, you'll be able to feed it from the palm of your hand.
02:09:50 Time for the animal that looks like it's always smiling – the bottlenose dolphin.
02:09:54 It's one of the most social sea creatures, and it travels in groups.
02:09:58 It enjoys playing, hunting, raising calves, and helping out its community.
02:10:04 Bottlenose dolphins are excellent swimmers with speeds reaching 19 mph.
02:10:08 They usually come up to the surface to breathe air through the blowhole on their head.
02:10:13 These creatures are great communicators, and they send messages to each other.
02:10:17 They use echolocation to navigate and find food.
02:10:21 When they spot people, they become very friendly – so much that they let their guard down,
02:10:26 and it makes them vulnerable to other sea creatures such as sharks.
02:10:31 Heading to the Pacific coast, we'll come across some gray whales.
02:10:35 Their skin is covered with parasites and other organisms that make their snouts look like
02:10:40 rough pieces of rock.
02:10:42 You gotta get on their nice side first.
02:10:44 Gray whales can attack a large boat, a ship, or a vessel if they sense their calves are
02:10:49 in danger.
02:10:50 But, generally, they're friendly and appear unbothered by rowing kayakers.
02:10:55 In some cases, they'll approach small boats and allow humans to touch them, though you're
02:11:00 required by law to keep your distance.
02:11:03 If it wants to get closer, it will.
02:11:05 If it feels threatened, it will act aggressively.
02:11:10 Let me show you a fish with a tool on its head – the hammerhead shark.
02:11:14 Their skull helps them with hunting.
02:11:16 Their eyes are placed on the hammer's outer edges and gives them a 360-degree vertical
02:11:22 view.
02:11:23 But they've got a blind spot in front of their nose.
02:11:27 Their heads are like metal detectors – most of what they want is below the sand surface.
02:11:32 So they lightly dip their heads in the sand and sweep up whatever is under there.
02:11:37 You'll see them in temperate and tropical waters both near the shorelines and offshore.
02:11:43 They usually move in groups.
02:11:44 They're mostly harmless to humans and divers, but there have been a few occasions where
02:11:49 they got aggressive.
02:11:50 But before they do, they'll give you a bunch of warning signs, and divers know how to handle
02:11:56 them.
02:11:57 I'll show you something kinda smaller – the sea lion.
02:12:02 These creatures are a bit tricky.
02:12:03 They're playful, aggressive, arrogant, smart, and above all, curious.
02:12:09 Sea lions can't breathe underwater, but they can dive almost 1,000 feet deep, and
02:12:14 they can hold their breath for a long time.
02:12:17 They take in air through their nose, and once they dip their heads in the waters, their
02:12:21 nostrils slam shut.
02:12:23 If they spot humans at the beach, they'll stay away and wait for them to leave.
02:12:28 Wild sea lions aren't the friendliest to anyone, especially if they feel threatened.
02:12:33 The approachable ones have been trained in captivity.
02:12:37 Beluga whales are next.
02:12:38 They're white with bulgy heads, and they're amongst the most social and loudest you'll
02:12:43 ever meet.
02:12:44 Their upwards-facing mouths make them look like they're smiling.
02:12:48 When beluga whales are born, they're a dark gray shade.
02:12:51 It takes 8 years for their skin to turn white.
02:12:55 They can change the shape of their heads by blowing air around their sinuses.
02:13:00 Beluga whales love humans.
02:13:02 Once they make human friends, they don't want to leave.
02:13:05 Even though they're wild animals, they become too entrusting with people.
02:13:09 Marine biologists suggest staying away for their safety.
02:13:14 Have you heard of sea cows?
02:13:16 Those are actually called manatees.
02:13:18 You'll see some in rivers and others in the ocean.
02:13:21 Even though they're large, they usually stay in shallow coastal areas, munching on
02:13:26 seagrass, leaves, and algae.
02:13:28 Manatees bring their heads to the surface every 4 minutes or so to breathe.
02:13:32 But they can hold their breath longer than that.
02:13:35 They're slow travelers, and even if they aren't as smart as dolphins, they can understand
02:13:40 colors.
02:13:41 These fellas are gentle giants, and they like to approach humans searching for warmth.
02:13:47 Next we've got the basking shark, the second largest shark in the world.
02:13:51 Their mouth is their most impressive feature, like me, since it can open more than 3 feet
02:13:56 wide.
02:13:57 Ok, you win.
02:13:59 These creatures have an intimidating appearance.
02:14:02 But despite their size, they're harmless to humans, and divers swim with them.
02:14:06 They're very social and can form schools of 100 individuals.
02:14:11 They swim near the water's surface, filter-feeding on plankton.
02:14:15 They too have a bunch of teeth that they don't use.
02:14:19 Do you know which creature can sing loud songs for 30 minutes?
02:14:23 I know – berry manatee!
02:14:26 That might be before your time.
02:14:28 Actually, it's the humpback whale.
02:14:31 Scientists aren't sure why they make those low howls and noises.
02:14:34 They might be trying to communicate with others to attract mates.
02:14:38 You'll see them near coastlines, feeding on tiny food.
02:14:42 And they use their flukes to propel through the water.
02:14:45 Humpback whales are less friendly than gray whales, because they're very cautious.
02:14:50 But they're the heroes of the ocean.
02:14:52 They try to save other animals from orcas, and experts say they're capable of decision-making
02:14:57 and problem-solving.
02:14:59 On one occasion, a humpback whale jumped in to save a whale biologist from a tiger shark.
02:15:06 Now let's try to spot the expert in disguise – the Caribbean reef octopus.
02:15:12 The specialized color cells help it blend in with the sand and ocean rock's rough
02:15:17 texture.
02:15:18 But Caribbean reef octopuses are loners, and they like to get around on their own.
02:15:24 This creature is also teeny tiny.
02:15:26 It can grow almost 5 inches and, with their legs, getting as long as the average person's
02:15:31 foot.
02:15:32 If you get too close to them, they'll likely turn blue and warn you that they feel threatened.
02:15:37 Even though they're trusting, it's better to keep your distance to keep them calm.
02:15:42 A weird-looking creature walks around like a living vacuum cleaner down in the ocean's
02:15:47 rich black depths.
02:15:49 I'm talking about sea pigs.
02:15:51 They got their name from their pinkish bodies, and they fit in the palm of your hand.
02:15:56 These creatures don't swim – they walk around on the sea floor.
02:16:00 Their legs consist of 5-7 pairs of enlarged tube feet, and they have tentacles around
02:16:06 their mouths to fiddle through the mud to find scum to munch on.
02:16:10 Yumbo!
02:16:11 Since they're vulnerable, they have poisonous skin for protection against other sea creatures.
02:16:17 If you encounter one, it'll be quite friendly, but if you want to keep it as a pet, you'll
02:16:22 need a very deep tank.
02:16:24 Speaking of slimy water creatures, let's talk about comb jellies.
02:16:29 They're friendly animals that like to swim close to the shore on warm summer evenings.
02:16:34 There are two types of comb jellies – some with two tentacles and some without any.
02:16:40 You can spot them at night since they glow in the dark and light up the waters.
02:16:45 One of them is the sea gooseberry.
02:16:47 On the sand, it looks like a transparent blob of jello, and it can fit into a teaspoon.
02:16:53 Unlike jellyfish, comb jellies don't sting because they don't have stinging cells,
02:16:57 and they're safe to swim with.
02:17:03 The deeper you go, the creepier they get.
02:17:05 You're about to travel to the darkest ocean depths and check whether this claim is true.
02:17:11 Are the creatures living there as scary as people think?
02:17:15 You go 120 feet down underwater.
02:17:18 Pay close attention to the bottom under your flippers.
02:17:21 Oh my, what's that terrifying face half-hidden in the sand?
02:17:25 That's the northern stargazer.
02:17:28 You can meet this fish in the eastern United States.
02:17:31 It buries itself in the sand until unsuspecting prey gets near.
02:17:36 Then, the nightmarish creature electrically shocks the poor animal and dines on it.
02:17:42 You are moving deeper, to 240 feet under the surface.
02:17:46 That's where you spot a colorful, puffy creature, no more than one foot long.
02:17:51 It's the sarcastic fringehead.
02:17:54 At first, the fish seems to be harmless.
02:17:56 Ha, only unless it's provoked.
02:18:00 When this animal is agitated, it opens its huge, huge mouth to fend off predators.
02:18:06 This defense tactic is a sight to behold, both surprising and frightening.
02:18:11 Luckily, the fish is no threat to people whatsoever.
02:18:15 The creature you see next can comfortably live in shallow waters, but you meet it at
02:18:20 a depth of 900 feet.
02:18:23 You don't even need to wonder why the animal's called the Game of Thrones brittle star.
02:18:29 Unlike starfish that slowly crawl across the seabed, this creature moves fast.
02:18:35 It wriggles its long, flexible arms to get from point A to point B. Its body is protected
02:18:41 by a hard calcium carbonate shell.
02:18:44 Also called snake stars, these creatures are tiny and easily fit in nooks, cracks, and
02:18:49 small crevices in rocks.
02:18:52 At a much greater depth of 2,000 feet, you come across the giant squid.
02:18:57 For a long time, it was thought to be a creature from legends rather than a real animal.
02:19:02 The giant squid was first caught on camera in 2001, and it's exactly as big as its name
02:19:08 implies.
02:19:09 The creature's eyeballs are the size of soccer balls, and the squid itself can weigh up to
02:19:15 600 pounds.
02:19:17 Almost 3,000 feet below the surface, you get spooked by another creepy-looking animal.
02:19:23 It's somewhat red and rather small, no longer than one foot long.
02:19:27 As you approach the creature, it looks rather docile, or maybe just indifferent.
02:19:33 The vampire squid, that's the animal's name, looks like an umbrella with tentacles.
02:19:38 It doesn't even produce ink, so you leave it alone.
02:19:42 Soon after that, at a depth of 3,200 feet, you meet the cookie-cutter shark.
02:19:48 This creature is a parasite.
02:19:50 It attaches itself to big fishes, dolphins, whales, and sometimes even people.
02:19:56 Then, using its neatly arranged serrated teeth, it gouges out cookie-sized pieces of meat.
02:20:03 This nasty glowing animal doesn't grow larger than 20 inches and lives in the ocean twilight
02:20:08 zone.
02:20:10 At a depth of 3,300 feet, the light becomes a rare and valuable thing.
02:20:15 The animals living that far away from the surface have to evolve unusual features to
02:20:20 survive.
02:20:21 That's how the barrel-eye fish ended up with a transparent head and two super-sensitive
02:20:26 barrel-shaped eyes.
02:20:28 Right now, pretty much like always, they're pointed upward, allowing the fish to see potential
02:20:34 prey, and you.
02:20:37 Almost 4,000 feet below the surface, you see something droopy and saggy.
02:20:42 The blobfish doesn't have a skeleton or any muscle.
02:20:46 Its jelly-like flesh lets the creature survive incredible water pressure.
02:20:51 Despite its appearance, the blobfish is an ambush predator.
02:20:55 It usually lies very still on the bottom, waiting for unsuspecting prey to swim by.
02:21:01 You go a bit deeper and spot a creature that looks particularly ghastly.
02:21:06 The goblin shark senses prey with its snout.
02:21:09 The creature's terrifying jaws are attached to elastic ligaments.
02:21:13 When some animal comes too close, the shark catapults its mouth forward to catch it.
02:21:19 If your mouth could do the same, you would be able to eat things dangling seven inches
02:21:23 away from your face.
02:21:26 Even deeper than that, at 5,000 feet, you notice another member of the shark family.
02:21:32 The frilled shark looks like an overgrown eel, but its gills are lined with red "fringe"
02:21:37 at the edges, hence the name.
02:21:40 The creature's horrifying mouth has 25 rows of razor-sharp backward-facing teeth, 300
02:21:46 in total.
02:21:47 The shark prefers to hover in the water, waiting for its prey to come closer.
02:21:52 Then, it charges at it like a snake.
02:21:55 Suddenly, you see something glow brightly like an electric bulb.
02:21:59 But after coming closer, you recoil in horror.
02:22:02 The creature looks like an upgraded eel equipped with oversized teeth.
02:22:07 That's the deep-sea dragonfish that can live at a depth of 6,000 feet.
02:22:12 Chemical processes going on inside the fish's body produce an eerie red glow.
02:22:18 This glow is used to communicate with other fish.
02:22:22 At the same depth, you meet another deep-sea inhabitant.
02:22:25 Its most prominent feature is its huge mouth.
02:22:29 Thanks to it, the gulper eel can swallow its prey whole.
02:22:33 Its stomach can expand to a terrifying size when it needs to fit something large.
02:22:38 At a depth of 6,600 feet, you come across an angry-looking creature with a fishing rod
02:22:44 over its head.
02:22:46 It's the deep-sea anglerfish.
02:22:48 The animal has an unusual dorsal spine, even though it's worn only by females.
02:22:53 It protrudes above their mouth and has a lure on its tip, some luminous flesh that baits
02:22:59 prey.
02:23:00 The anglerfish has such a big mouth and its body is so pliable that it can swallow animals
02:23:06 twice its own size.
02:23:08 4,000 or 7,000 feet down, when you see another fish that's glowing in the dark, the black
02:23:13 dragonfish is a sly creature.
02:23:15 It has its light-producing organs arranged along its belly.
02:23:19 The spooky creature also has gleaming "flashlights" next to its eyes.
02:23:24 They help the animal find prey and attract potential mates.
02:23:28 At the same depth, you also spot an enormous… pill bug.
02:23:33 But unlike the critter you can find in your garden, this one is at least 20 inches long.
02:23:38 That's the giant isopod, and it is, indeed, related to the roly-poly, as well as crabs
02:23:45 and shrimps.
02:23:46 These creatures may look somewhat scary, but they're harmless.
02:23:50 They feast on other deep-sea animals only after those have passed away.
02:23:55 At a depth of 13,000 feet, you notice the ocean floor has become a bit… fluffy.
02:24:00 That's because it's covered with zombie worms.
02:24:04 These creatures rarely grow to be more than 2 inches long, and still, they can break down
02:24:09 fairly large animals, so strong the acid they produce is.
02:24:13 The worms' feathery appearance makes them look like plants, but the truth is, these
02:24:18 creatures munch on rock-hard bones of the world's largest animals, such as whales.
02:24:24 The grid-eye fish almost scares you out of your mind soon after that.
02:24:28 This creature has a pair of large, greenish oval plates on the top of its head, and no
02:24:32 eyes whatsoever.
02:24:34 Experts believe that these bony membranes detect light coming from predators, saving
02:24:39 the fish's life.
02:24:41 You're now 3 miles down below the surface, and that's where you spot something bizarre
02:24:47 on the bottom.
02:24:48 It's definitely a fish, but it's standing on the ocean floor on three long, rigid legs.
02:24:54 Ah, it's the tripod fish, curious rather than scary.
02:24:59 This creature has adapted to the almost complete darkness by giving up on its vision.
02:25:04 It has to rely on vibration and touch to sense prey.
02:25:07 And then, the fish uses its fins as hands to transport food directly into its mouth.
02:25:14 You don't have time to go any deeper before you spot the faceless fish.
02:25:18 This slightly off-putting creature has no eyes, and its mouth, smiling a "Mona Lisa"
02:25:24 smile, is underneath its body.
02:25:27 For the first time, the faceless cusk, which is the creature's official name, was seen
02:25:32 more than a century ago.
02:25:34 The next time it happened was only in 2017.
02:25:38 Once you've reached a depth of 6 miles below the surface, you see deep-sea cucumbers.
02:25:44 These bizarre creatures are much bigger than their shallow-water relatives.
02:25:48 They spend most of their time on the sea floor.
02:25:51 But if they need to escape predators, they are able to swim away.
02:25:56 Deep-sea cucumbers have bright purplish coloring, tiny feet, and tentacles that surround their
02:26:01 mouths.
02:26:02 Mmm, cute.
02:26:04 The question is, why do these deep-sea creatures look so scary?
02:26:09 Life is very different there, at the bottom.
02:26:11 Tremendous water pressure, a lack of food, and constant darkness.
02:26:16 You have to adapt to survive in such extreme conditions.
02:26:21 It looks like a prehistoric creature that came from the time of dinosaurs.
02:26:25 This scary beast is called the "basking shark."
02:26:28 It can grow up to 39 feet.
02:26:30 People have only reported 3 of them in the past 160 years.
02:26:34 The last sighting was in 2015, and before that, about 80 years ago.
02:26:39 These sharks sometimes rise to the surface to filter out small animals, such as shrimps
02:26:44 and other small crustaceans, when they want to have a nice, tasty seafood dinner.
02:26:49 But when there isn't enough grub at the surface, they go down to the depths of almost
02:26:54 3,300 feet, where they tend to stay for months, which is something researchers discovered
02:26:59 using satellite tags.
02:27:01 Tag, you're it!
02:27:03 Basking sharks like to spend their time in more temperate waters, but they can migrate
02:27:08 long distances.
02:27:09 They live across the globe, but in warm tropical or subtropical areas, they won't go near
02:27:14 the surface because they're not fans of high temperatures.
02:27:18 The lion's mane jellyfish is not that rare, but it's fascinating how large it is.
02:27:23 It's the biggest among jellyfish species and the longest animal.
02:27:28 Its total length can reach 120 feet.
02:27:30 That's approximately 23 feet more than the longest blue whale scientists know about.
02:27:35 The jellyfish has around 70 to 150 tentacles, and they all contain huge amounts of neurotoxins
02:27:42 that can seriously harm you if you come in contact with the animal.
02:27:46 But people don't usually come across this type of jellyfish because it rarely lives
02:27:50 near the coast, preferring the open ocean.
02:27:53 Generally, you can find the lion's mane jellyfish no deeper than 65 feet below the
02:27:58 surface, where it dines on small fishes, zooplankton, and some other types of jellyfish.
02:28:03 It uses its tentacles to catch its value meal.
02:28:06 Hey, want fries with that?
02:28:09 The giant phantom jelly comes out of the darkness and depths of the ocean's midnight zone.
02:28:14 Its sun-hat-shaped bell reaches over 3 feet across.
02:28:18 This bell trails 4 ribbon-like mouth arms that can be up to 33 feet long.
02:28:24 This quite rare creature uses its mouth arms to catch unfortunate animals swimming around
02:28:30 and not knowing what's coming for them.
02:28:32 That phantom jelly propels itself through the water with periodic pulses coming from
02:28:37 its orange head.
02:28:39 It glows faintly and mysteriously in the pitch-black depths.
02:28:43 It lives across the globe in all the oceans except for the Arctic.
02:28:47 I'm guessing it's too cold.
02:28:50 Because of its odd shape, people often call the oarfish the dragonfish or sea serpent.
02:28:55 It's about 26 feet long, which makes it the longest bony fish we know about, and lives
02:29:01 at depths of 3,300 feet.
02:29:04 Oarfish spend most of their time in the deep, dark parts of the open ocean in tropical and
02:29:09 subtropical areas.
02:29:10 They almost never come to the surface.
02:29:12 Unless, you know, invited.
02:29:14 It's a ribbon-shaped and shiny silver creature with a long red dorsal fin and red oar-like
02:29:20 pelvic fins.
02:29:22 Its body has no scales and is very thin.
02:29:25 The fish can grow to a length of about 30 feet and weigh 660 pounds.
02:29:31 Oarfish have really big eyes that help them see better in their dark, scary surroundings.
02:29:36 The frilled shark is definitely one of the gnarliest-looking marine animals out there.
02:29:41 If you saw it somewhere, you'd probably think you went back to the age of dinosaurs.
02:29:46 Yep, the frilled shark is a prehistoric creature because its roots go back 80 million years.
02:29:53 This living fossil can grow to be 7 feet long.
02:29:56 It got its name from its frilly gills.
02:29:59 Even though frilled sharks have the "shark" part in their name, they swim similar to an
02:30:03 eel in a distinctly serpentine way.
02:30:07 Its mouth is terrifying.
02:30:09 Similar to the maw of the great white shark, it has 300 trident-shaped teeth lined in 25
02:30:15 rows.
02:30:16 Hey, come a little closer, huh?
02:30:19 Researchers discovered this creature in the 19th century, but people rarely see it.
02:30:24 And no wonder.
02:30:25 It usually lives at depths of between 390 and 4,200 feet.
02:30:30 Most of the time, the frilled shark feeds on squid, swallowing them whole.
02:30:35 Its long jaws allow the frilled shark to gape extra wide and swallow animals half as long
02:30:40 as its entire body.
02:30:43 Goblin sharks are very rare.
02:30:45 Researchers have spotted fewer than 50 of them in more than 120 years.
02:30:50 But maybe that's for the best, since we're talking about a pretty scary fella with a
02:30:55 narrow snout and sharp teeth.
02:30:57 It's also capable of thrusting its entire jaw outward when it wants to catch something.
02:31:02 Sounds familiar.
02:31:04 As it's lurking through the dark depths of the ocean, a goblin shark sees a small
02:31:09 squid that looks quite yummy.
02:31:11 The dangerous animal inches toward the squid.
02:31:14 When the poor creature notices the predator, it tries to dart away, but it's too late.
02:31:20 The shark has already thrust its jaw the whole 3 inches out of its mouth.
02:31:24 This jaw is connected to the flaps of skin the shark can unfold.
02:31:28 This helps a lot because the goblin shark is a sluggish animal, so it's pretty hard
02:31:33 for it to chase its food.
02:31:35 After finishing its lunch, the goblin shark puts its jaw back in its mouth and swims away
02:31:40 as if nothing's happened.
02:31:42 Goblin sharks mostly live at the bottom of the ocean.
02:31:45 Like many other shark species, they prefer swimming alone.
02:31:49 Here's a silver-colored creature with very rough skin.
02:31:53 That's the ocean sunfish with a total length of almost 11 feet.
02:31:58 Its other name is mola.
02:32:00 The ocean sunfish is the heaviest of all bony fish out there.
02:32:04 People sometimes call it a swimming head because of its bizarre appearance.
02:32:09 These creatures have such a weird shape because they're born with a back fin that never
02:32:13 actually grows.
02:32:14 It just folds into itself as the animal matures and creates a rounded rudder.
02:32:20 The sunfish is a bit clumsy.
02:32:22 It moves with the help of its mighty fins that allow the animal to swim on its side.
02:32:27 This marine inhabitant is a solitary creature.
02:32:30 It mostly feeds on zooplankton and jellyfish.
02:32:34 The spotted wobbegong is one of the world's rarest sharks.
02:32:38 It grows to be more than 10 feet long.
02:32:40 It may not look as terrifying as some of its shark relatives, but it's pretty good at
02:32:45 catching unsuspecting animals swimming past, mostly during the night.
02:32:49 The animal has a spiracle, which is why it can breathe while staying still at the bottom
02:32:54 of the ocean.
02:32:55 It's motionless most of the time, which is why you can barely notice it.
02:32:59 Its flat body and large pelvic and pectoral fins blend in with the underwater terrain.
02:33:04 That's why they're so good at hiding.
02:33:06 This ability helps when these sharks want to protect themselves too.
02:33:11 Wobbegong means "carpet shark."
02:33:13 They usually live close to the ocean floor in coral reefs, on sandy bottoms, and under
02:33:17 piers.
02:33:19 People have even spotted the shark in the water that is barely deep enough to cover
02:33:22 its flattened body.
02:33:24 Now blobfish lack teeth and bones, so they can't actively hunt.
02:33:29 Since they don't have much muscle mass, they can barely move around.
02:33:32 Hey, I had a roommate like that once.
02:33:35 To get their energy from animals, they scoop up from the sea floor.
02:33:38 They also know how to conserve this energy.
02:33:40 That's how it usually goes with deep-sea creatures.
02:33:44 They don't have as much food as those animals that swim closer to the surface.
02:33:48 Instead, they have special body mechanisms that allow them to save energy for the times
02:33:53 when they don't have much to eat.
02:33:55 Pressure at the depths where the blobfish lives is 120 times as high as that at the
02:34:00 surface.
02:34:01 That's why the bizarre creature looks like a weird gelatinous mass only when you bring
02:34:06 it up to the surface.
02:34:07 The pressure here is not strong enough to keep its body together.
02:34:11 Hey, breaking up is hard to do!
02:34:14 The white-margin stargazer could compete with the blobfish for the title of the ugliest
02:34:18 animal in the sea, don't you think?
02:34:21 This animal has eyes on the top of its head, together with an upward-facing mouth which
02:34:26 the creature uses to hide itself in the sand.
02:34:29 That's where it spends most of its time, with only its eyes protruding from the sand.
02:34:34 It chills this way until some small animal passes by.
02:34:38 It can lunge at its target incredibly quickly, literally within milliseconds.
02:34:42 This creates a vacuum in the water that pulls in a crab, fish, or some other small unfortunate
02:34:48 animal.
02:34:49 Another tactic involves venom.
02:34:51 This fish has a venomous spine in its shoulder blade that helps with catching other animals
02:34:56 and defending itself against enemies.
02:34:58 Even though it's not related to the electric eel, the white-margin stargazer can generate
02:35:03 an electric shock as powerful as 50 volts!
02:35:10 The Heikegani crab lives off the coast of Japan and has a distinct pattern on its shell
02:35:16 that looks like a human face.
02:35:18 More specifically, the face of an angry samurai, hence the nickname "the samurai crab."
02:35:26 The scarlet-striped cleaning shrimp is a natural hitchhiker.
02:35:30 It stands on the seafloor and waves its long antennae for fish and sea animals to go down
02:35:36 and pick it up.
02:35:37 Then it pays for the ride by cleaning the host from bacteria and plankton.
02:35:42 Sea salps are often confused with jellyfish, although they're closer to Portuguese man-o-war.
02:35:48 They're very quick to mature, growing from newborns to adults in less than 48 hours!
02:35:56 The Galapagos Islands are legendary.
02:35:58 They've got giant tortoises, blue-footed boobies, sally lightfoot crabs, and red-lipped
02:36:04 batfish.
02:36:06 But if you've ever swum around there, you might have seen something really unexpected
02:36:10 in the water.
02:36:11 Iguanas!
02:36:12 Everywhere!
02:36:13 These large marine reptiles eat the algae that grow on underwater rocks.
02:36:18 They're strict vegetarians.
02:36:19 I bet the fish are happy about that!
02:36:22 A long flat tail designed for swimming helps them move around, and sharp claws keep them
02:36:28 on the rocks for their daily sunbathing sessions.
02:36:31 But watch them closely.
02:36:32 They sneeze a lot!
02:36:34 They haven't got a cold or anything.
02:36:36 They're sneezing out salt!
02:36:38 A special gland keeps the salt out of their nose, and they've got to get rid of it somehow.
02:36:44 Sounds painful.
02:36:45 What's cool is that they don't mind us in the water with them.
02:36:49 Because the islands have been so isolated, the creatures here aren't afraid of humans.
02:36:55 Fish can fly too!
02:36:57 Thanks to their wing-like fins, flying fish can soar a distance of about 600 feet, almost
02:37:03 as long as two football fields.
02:37:05 They need flight to escape from predators.
02:37:09 The skeleton shrimp could be the stuff of nightmares if it wasn't so tiny.
02:37:15 As it is, it looks like a stick insect, but almost completely transparent.
02:37:21 This creature looks more like a fish from a horror movie than from Earth's oceans.
02:37:26 The sea devil anglerfish resides at a whopping depth of 3,200 feet, and has no shortage of
02:37:33 weird features - razor-sharp teeth, a misshapen body, and an unsettling stare.
02:37:40 But perhaps the creepiest thing about the sea devil anglerfish is the way it catches
02:37:44 its prey.
02:37:45 It has a fishing rod-type appendage on its forehead that has a glowing light attached
02:37:50 to the end to attract animals.
02:37:53 Once these animals come close enough to the light, bam, they're captured by the sea devil's
02:37:58 massive jaws.
02:37:59 These guys are even capable of eating prey larger than they are, so their eyes aren't
02:38:05 bigger than their stomachs.
02:38:08 Starfish can cover their prey with their stomachs and eat it outside its body.
02:38:13 Then, they simply bring their stomachs back inside.
02:38:17 Well, that's handy.
02:38:19 Their relatives, sea cucumbers, can do the same party trick, except that they leave part
02:38:25 of their guts behind to scare their attacker.
02:38:28 That's okay, the missing parts quickly grow back.
02:38:32 Cockatoo squids, or glass squids, are a large genus whose members can reach quite impressive
02:38:38 size.
02:38:39 Yet, one thing they have in common is that their bodies are transparent, and the internal
02:38:44 organs glow in the dark.
02:38:47 Despite the hairy octopus looking like it's forgotten to comb its hair in the morning,
02:38:52 it's actually its skin that's sticking in every direction.
02:38:56 Other sea creatures have a harder time realizing where the octopus itself is this way, I guess.
02:39:02 The hairy squat lobster lives in reefs, hiding from its enemies in crevices.
02:39:08 If you're lucky to see it, you'll instantly notice the drastic difference between its
02:39:12 whitish hairs and vibrant pink and violet claws.
02:39:17 If you step on a sea urchin, you're gonna know right away.
02:39:21 Look at those spikes!
02:39:23 While they're not aggressive, they've got a great defense going against any creature
02:39:27 that wants to eat them.
02:39:29 Venomous spikes and a poisonous bite.
02:39:32 Pick your poison, literally.
02:39:34 They live in all the oceans of the world, so avoiding them is out of the question.
02:39:39 They mostly hang out in shallow water, hiding in rock pools and reefs.
02:39:44 So unmindful people step on them a lot.
02:39:47 The long venomous spikes of the urchin look like needles, and feel like them too.
02:39:53 They can go in quite deep.
02:39:54 Plus, they release a strong toxin.
02:39:57 So what's the cure?
02:39:59 Remove the spikes quickly and wash with salt water.
02:40:03 Sea turtles are constantly crying.
02:40:06 They're not sad or anything.
02:40:08 The weeping is only because they excrete excess salts from their body through their tears.
02:40:15 These jellyfish tentacles grow up to 10 feet long.
02:40:18 And each tentacle has 5,000 stinging cells.
02:40:22 Not bad for a creature that's mostly just water.
02:40:25 Their venom is strong enough to paralyze anything they want to eat.
02:40:29 Now, if you happen to get stung, it's going to hurt a lot.
02:40:34 Its toxins contain proteins that affect the heart, skin cells, and even our nervous system.
02:40:40 No wonder it's considered one of the most dangerous creatures on the planet.
02:40:44 I wouldn't recommend using sunscreen, soda, coffee, or other older methods.
02:40:50 They don't work.
02:40:51 Your best bet is some good old-fashioned seawater.
02:40:55 Looks like jellyfish are the rulers of the ocean, not sharks.
02:41:00 The margin sea lizard isn't an actual lizard.
02:41:03 It's a kind of sea slug that dwells close to the water's surface.
02:41:07 It swims upside down and somersaults to get food.
02:41:11 And let's admit, it looks very cute.
02:41:16 When some foreign object gets into an oyster's shell, be it a grain of sand, a parasite,
02:41:21 or garbage, the thing irritates the mollusk's inner walls.
02:41:25 Since the animal can't spit the item out, it envelops it in thin layers that separate
02:41:30 from the body.
02:41:32 These pearlescent layers accumulate until they form a round pearl.
02:41:37 In the past, people believed that pearls were the tears of mermaids.
02:41:41 Now we know they're just some decorated debris.
02:41:46 Dolphins have highly developed communication.
02:41:48 They call each other by name.
02:41:50 Each dolphin responds to a specific sound.
02:41:54 Mostly they say, "Stop calling me Flipper!"
02:41:58 The orca is the largest of dolphin species, and they actually have different cultures.
02:42:04 Two orcas from different social groups won't even understand each other's language.
02:42:09 They're the only animal known to do this.
02:42:12 I wonder if they developed any Google Translate for dolphins.
02:42:16 The banded shrimp, or banded boxing shrimp, was really aptly named.
02:42:21 It's got bands of color all over its body and always stands in a boxer-like, ready-to-strike
02:42:27 pose.
02:42:29 The brown-lined paper bubble is another sea slug, and it definitely looks like one.
02:42:35 It's got a special ability, though.
02:42:37 It can quickly burrow holes in the seafloor, hiding from enemies inside them.
02:42:44 The snakefish, as the name implies, looks a lot like a snake, but it has a very distinctive
02:42:49 feature.
02:42:50 It can walk on its fins.
02:42:53 Thanks to this peculiarity, it easily crawls from one waterbed to another, choosing habitats
02:42:59 more to its liking.
02:43:01 On the way, a snakefish can get hungry for sure, so it often munches on small birds and
02:43:07 rodents.
02:43:08 It can grow quite big, though, and hunt even larger animals.
02:43:12 How much weirder can it get than to walk through the woods and suddenly see a huge and toothy
02:43:16 fish stalking some rabbit?
02:43:20 The alligator snapping turtle catches its prey by going fishing.
02:43:25 Its tongue looks like a worm, and the turtle waits with its mouth wide open at the bottom
02:43:30 of a stream, lake, or pond until some unsuspecting fish takes the bait.
02:43:35 Then snap!
02:43:37 The jaws come together faster than the blink of an eye, and dinner is served.
02:43:43 The mossy jellyfish is normally invisible in the dark abyss where it dwells, but when
02:43:48 exposed to light, it will reflect it and shine beautifully.
02:43:53 The black swallower might be small, but make no mistake, it could easily gulp down your
02:43:58 favorite puppy.
02:44:00 It can open its mouth extremely wide, allowing it to swallow prey twice its size.
02:44:07 The African tigerfish will eat whatever it finds, and given its own size and that of
02:44:12 its monstrous teeth, you can imagine it finds a lot of food.
02:44:17 It mostly feeds on other fish, but when nutrition is scarce, it can jump out of the water and
02:44:23 catch both insects and small birds right in the middle of the flight.
02:44:28 It's not so big as to eat a human, of course, but the name should warn you that it can easily
02:44:33 take a bite out of your arm or leg.
02:44:37 Your brain controls your arms and legs, but with an octopus, each arm is actually kind
02:44:43 of independent with its own special brain held together by a bigger central brain, kind
02:44:49 of like the conductor of an orchestra.
02:44:51 The central brain sends higher-level signals to each arm, saying things like "move to
02:44:56 the left, there's a crab behind the corner" or "touch this silly human's foot, let's
02:45:02 mess with him a little bit."
02:45:04 No matter how smart their arms and legs might be, an octopus still needs to look after them
02:45:09 all the time.
02:45:12 The sight of its fin in the water nearly stops your heart.
02:45:17 That's the reason you feel so uneasy going for a swim at the beach.
02:45:21 That massive, razor-toothed hunter that's made its name known – the Great White Shark.
02:45:28 So if the ultimate terror of the sea is leaving the area, it must be for a good reason.
02:45:34 But what could possibly scare the Great White away?
02:45:38 A giant Lovecraftian monster that makes even Megalodon look tiny?
02:45:44 Not even close.
02:45:47 Nothing can clear a portion of the ocean as quickly as orcas can.
02:45:51 When their powerful paws come looking for food like seals and squids, even the biggest,
02:45:56 scariest sharks leave the area without looking back.
02:46:00 It's not known if these whales specifically target Great Whites, or they're just keeping
02:46:05 the competition out of the area.
02:46:07 But what marine experts do know is that sharks flee, sometimes not even coming back until
02:46:13 the following year.
02:46:15 Makes sense.
02:46:16 Orcas are much larger than Great Whites in size, they have plenty of teeth, and they'll
02:46:21 use them to satisfy their merciless desire for meat.
02:46:25 Orcas are also highly intelligent and will work as a team to get what they want.
02:46:30 Whether that's catching a school of fish, getting seals off the ice, or even chasing
02:46:35 down humpback whales.
02:46:37 So if the Great White Shark itself is scared of the mighty orca, should you be?
02:46:42 Me personally, I keep my distance from any wild animal.
02:46:47 But maybe this will help you sleep better at night.
02:46:51 Orcas are known to be picky eaters.
02:46:53 Goodness for you, human isn't on the menu.
02:46:56 They aren't likely to change their diet just because you're in the water today.
02:47:00 By the way, orcas aren't even whales.
02:47:03 They're technically the largest species of dolphin.
02:47:06 And sharks are also afraid of their relative, the bottlenose dolphin.
02:47:12 Even a single bottlenose is too powerful for a shark, but they're tougher when they travel
02:47:16 as a pod.
02:47:18 Sharks are easily outmaneuvered by the highly agile marine mammals.
02:47:22 They use that blunt snout like a battering ram.
02:47:25 This basically annoys the shark so much that it just leaves the area.
02:47:30 If you think about other top hunters in the animal kingdom, wolves always come to mind.
02:47:36 Packs can take over vast territories.
02:47:39 And since they're at the top of the food chain, they get to pick and choose from a
02:47:43 large menu with anything they please.
02:47:45 They're highly intelligent, fast, and agile.
02:47:49 But probably their biggest advantage – numbers.
02:47:53 If grizzlies or mountain lions try taking advantage of them, the numbers game always
02:47:58 works in the wolves' favor, leading to the hunter becoming the hunted.
02:48:03 Even without numbers, they dominate and terrify.
02:48:06 It's too hard for any other animal to target a lone wolf, so even they are usually left
02:48:12 alone.
02:48:14 Imagine being able to pounce a wild boar in below freezing temperatures while dressed
02:48:19 in orange against a completely snow-covered white environment.
02:48:23 Siberian tigers are clearly not playing around.
02:48:27 Over 10 ft long and weighing up to 400 lbs, they're the largest of all wild cats.
02:48:33 This kitty could easily jump right over your head while carrying double its body weight.
02:48:39 The only animal that can really challenge this king of the forest is a large enough
02:48:43 brown bear, and it'd be a close call.
02:48:46 No wonder the Siberian tiger is at the top of the food chain in its part of the globe.
02:48:52 As for the top boss in the waters of South America, that would be the green anaconda.
02:48:58 Not even jaguars and caiman are safe around the biggest snake in the world.
02:49:03 The murky waters of riverbanks camouflage the giant snake perfectly.
02:49:08 They go unnoticed, sitting there waiting for something to come have a drink.
02:49:14 And then whoosh, the snake strikes!
02:49:17 It uses its sharp curved teeth and 15 ft of pure muscle to hold its lunch in place.
02:49:23 Luckily for most animals, after eating their fill, anacondas can go weeks or even months
02:49:29 without worrying about their next meal.
02:49:32 But the world's biggest snake isn't the most dangerous.
02:49:35 That title belongs to the black mamba.
02:49:38 Lions, spotted hyenas, giraffes, and even elephants will avoid the mamba at all costs.
02:49:44 They all know one bite can stop them very quickly.
02:49:48 Growing up to 14 ft, it's the second longest venomous snake in the world after the king
02:49:54 cobra.
02:49:55 The African black mamba does hold the top spot as the world's fastest snake.
02:50:00 It slithers along going 12 mph.
02:50:04 That's about where most treadmills max out.
02:50:07 Not top dog, but worth a mention, is the green anaconda's neighbor, the electric eel.
02:50:14 Very few animals are willing to take on such a highly charged creature.
02:50:19 Electric eels have around 6,000 special cells that can produce up to 800 volts of electricity.
02:50:26 That's more than 6 times the standard US wall socket.
02:50:29 That's enough to knock a horse off its feet and to power holiday lights.
02:50:34 In 2019, a Tennessee aquarium hooked some tree lights up to their eel tank.
02:50:40 Every time the eel shot the water, the trees lit up.
02:50:44 It's been said that the electric eel can recycle its volts in a process called revolting.
02:50:50 Nah, I made that up.
02:50:53 One more truthful eel fact to knock you off your feet.
02:50:56 Electric eels are air-breathers.
02:50:57 They have to surface about every 10 minutes to fill their mouth with air.
02:51:03 Yep, their single lung is in their mouth.
02:51:06 Does the king of the jungle reign unchallenged?
02:51:09 In books and movies, sure.
02:51:11 In real life, not so much.
02:51:14 For one, their home is on the African plains, not the jungle.
02:51:19 A whole assortment of contenders, like hyenas, leopards, and crocodiles, are always trying
02:51:24 to take the king's crown.
02:51:26 And zebras and giraffes can stop the big cats with a quick kick if they're cornered.
02:51:32 If we go by bite force, the African Nile crocodile has the biggest that humanity has ever measured.
02:51:39 Its jaws are 5 times more powerful than that of a lion's.
02:51:43 Now earlier, with the water critters, all you had to do was avoid the water.
02:51:48 Good luck avoiding a lion!
02:51:50 They can run 50 mph, jump the length of a school bus, and climb trees.
02:51:56 The lion's biggest challenger for the apex role is the African wild dog.
02:52:02 These two are constantly going at it because they hunt for the same food in the same area.
02:52:07 Where there's a big pride of lions, the dogs have no choice but to flee.
02:52:12 But they've got one thing against the cats – endurance.
02:52:17 Lions might reach incredible speeds, but that's only in short bursts.
02:52:21 It takes too much energy to carry 400+ pounds of muscle over long distances while going
02:52:27 as fast as you can.
02:52:29 African wild dogs, though, have long, slender legs and big lungs for their body size.
02:52:35 Meaning, they can run fast and keep it up for miles.
02:52:38 That's how they hunt – their lunch just gets tired of running.
02:52:43 There's one animal brave enough to take on the king if the cat gets too curious – the
02:52:48 hippo.
02:52:49 They may seem cute and squishy, but hippos are one of the most dangerous animals on the
02:52:54 planet.
02:52:55 Based on statistics, you should fear them way more than great white sharks.
02:53:00 And there's nothing squishy about them.
02:53:03 Hippos are pure muscle and weigh as much as a car.
02:53:07 Their pointy canine teeth can grow longer than your forearm.
02:53:12 These guys aren't afraid of anything.
02:53:14 Even lions and crocodiles prefer to keep their distance.
02:53:18 Their name means "water horse."
02:53:20 And they do spend up to 16 hours a day submerged.
02:53:24 Funny thing is, hippos can't really swim.
02:53:27 If you see one swimming, it's actually pushing itself off the lake or river bottom.
02:53:31 It can still be even the best Olympic swimmer's speed, so watch out!
02:53:36 Yep, move aside, Leo!
02:53:39 Hippos are the true apex animal of Africa.
02:53:42 But I wouldn't get close enough to give them the award.
02:53:45 As for the ruler of the forest, make way for the grizzly bear!
02:53:51 Weighing over half a ton, you'd be mistaken thinking these large fluffballs are slow and
02:53:56 bumbling.
02:53:57 Being able to maintain a speed of 25 mph for long stretches is too easy for the behemoth
02:54:04 brown bear.
02:54:05 Uphill, downhill, and on every terrain, they're the off-road SUV of the animal world.
02:54:12 Without having any natural enemies, this bear is at the top of its local food chain.
02:54:17 Good thing they sleep for a third of the year.
02:54:20 Just hope you don't run into a grizzly, um, ever.
02:54:24 But especially right before it's about to go into hibernation.
02:54:28 They spend the autumn months fattening up for winter.
02:54:31 And they're even hungrier than usual!
02:54:34 Now being the largest bird of prey in North America, it's no wonder the golden eagle
02:54:39 is found all over the continent in woodlands and mountain ranges.
02:54:43 Their wingspan is nearly 8 feet.
02:54:47 And they don't call it eagle vision for nothing.
02:54:50 These birds can spot a rabbit from 3 miles up in the air.
02:54:54 You'd be like you seeing an ant while standing on top of a 10-story building.
02:55:00 Golden eagles can also make quick dives from a great height.
02:55:04 During these dives, they can reach speeds up to 200 mph, as fast as a flying arrow!
02:55:14 450 million years ago, no I wasn't around then, the sea level was higher, coral reefs
02:55:20 started to form, the climate on our planet was stable and warm, not even dinosaurs were
02:55:25 around yet.
02:55:26 The time when bony and jawed fish we know as sharks appeared.
02:55:30 They've been dominating the oceans and making other marine creatures flee in fear ever since.
02:55:35 Many of them, like great white sharks, have evolved and adjusted to life in the open ocean
02:55:40 as hunters with a pretty high position in the food chain.
02:55:44 They're less diverse today than before.
02:55:46 One of the reasons is the asteroid strike from the age of dinosaurs.
02:55:50 After it reduced the number of shark species, only smaller and deep-water kinds that ate
02:55:54 primarily fish survived.
02:55:57 They started getting bigger over time.
02:55:59 Near the surface, sharks such as makos or great white ones develop faster movements
02:56:04 and are somewhat between gray and blue to blend in with their surroundings.
02:56:09 The epaulette shark can even walk on the land.
02:56:12 It can't take a walk on the beach because it can't breathe outside of the water, but
02:56:16 it lives on coral flats in shallow tropical waters, so it can walk in kind of a crawling
02:56:21 motion.
02:56:22 But deep down below, there are mysterious alien-looking, often huge shark species that
02:56:28 didn't come to the surface.
02:56:30 Which is why they didn't need to adjust to the new environment and different conditions.
02:56:35 They haven't changed a lot through time, so they're some living fossils.
02:56:39 These creatures mostly don't have 5 gill slits, the most common number, but 6 or 7.
02:56:45 It's because there's less oxygen the deeper you go in the ocean, so they need more gill
02:56:50 slits.
02:56:51 Sharks on the surface evolved to have fewer gill slits.
02:56:55 Skill sharks are the most primitive sharks we have today.
02:56:58 Their skeletons are like those of ancient extinct sharks, and they can survive only
02:57:03 in very deep waters.
02:57:05 Like cats, sharks have a layer of reflective cells placed inside their eyes, which helps
02:57:11 them see better in the dark, deep sea, or cloudy waters.
02:57:15 Sharks on the surface have big eyes because they evolved to hunt in the sunlight, so they
02:57:19 tend to rely on their vision.
02:57:21 Those that live in shallow waters have small eyes, so they can protect themselves from
02:57:25 the sand.
02:57:27 Like some other deep sea creatures, 6-gill sharks also have bigger eyes to take in as
02:57:32 much light as possible.
02:57:34 They have more light-sensing rods, but don't distinguish colors that well.
02:57:38 In the ocean's twilight zone, with the minimum of sunlight, there's a couple of bioluminescent
02:57:43 shark species.
02:57:44 They don't take in light within their eyes, but produce or re-emit it with their bodies.
02:57:50 Their skin or organs have specialized cells that produce a soft blue-green light.
02:57:55 Deep sea creatures that produce their own light do that to attract their prey, deter
02:58:00 animals from going after them, or, scientists think, communicate with each other.
02:58:06 It can even help them to camouflage.
02:58:08 They do it by hiding their silhouettes from animals going after them.
02:58:12 They produce enough light to match their surroundings.
02:58:15 The biggest luminous underwater creature is the kitefin shark.
02:58:19 Found swimming 980 feet below sea level, preying on ground fish or smaller sharks.
02:58:25 It can grow almost 6 feet long and lives 3,200 feet below sea level.
02:58:31 Deep sea sharks are also bigger than those on the surface.
02:58:34 The Greenland shark can grow up to 24 feet long, bigger than a great white.
02:58:39 There's a thing called deep sea gigantism.
02:58:42 Creatures in nutrient-poor depths of the ocean grow bigger because, that way, they lose less
02:58:47 energy as heat.
02:58:49 The Greenland shark lives its life in slow motion.
02:58:52 It has a slow metabolism and can go very long periods without food.
02:58:57 With their slow pace, they evolve to live up to 500 years at depths of 7,200 feet.
02:59:04 Sharks in shallow waters catch their prey, relying on agility and speed.
02:59:09 But for them, it's easier because there's plenty of food on the surface.
02:59:13 Deep sea sharks, with less food and slower life rhythm, had to develop a different style.
02:59:18 They're more opportunistic, definitely not picky, and don't care if their future meal
02:59:23 is alive or not.
02:59:26 Frilled shark, another living fossil from the darkest depths, hasn't evolved much through
02:59:31 time, and they're one of the last of their kind, with all of their relatives already
02:59:35 gone extinct.
02:59:37 It grows up to 7 feet long, primarily hunts on squid, and catches other sharks and fish.
02:59:43 It looks like a dinosaur, a snake-like face, a long, smooth, thin body that moves in a
02:59:48 serpentine way.
02:59:50 It can propel itself with the power of its tail and curl like snakes.
02:59:54 They don't swim in a straight line like other sharks.
02:59:58 Cookie cutter shark grows up to 20 inches.
03:00:00 It got the name because of the way it feeds, biting off small pieces.
03:00:05 It's a parasite creature, which means it feeds off bigger animals but leaves them alive.
03:00:10 They have sharp teeth and sometimes even swallow those that fall off on purpose.
03:00:15 Some researchers think it could be because they live in the depths that are nutrient
03:00:19 poor.
03:00:20 If they swallow the teeth, they could recycle calcium and other material from it.
03:00:25 Prickly shark is a rare and unusual creature with many thorn-like denticles and two small
03:00:31 dorsal fins.
03:00:32 It lives mostly in the depths of the Pacific region up to 1,900 feet.
03:00:37 Ghost sharks are not even real sharks, but fish closely related to them and rays.
03:00:43 They have big pectoral and pelvic fins, two dorsal fins, pretty big eyes, and unlike their
03:00:49 cousins have a single external gill opening.
03:00:52 Ghost sharks have slender tails and can grow up to 80 inches, silver to blackish color.
03:00:58 They sometimes live in rivers and coastal waters, but also in the depths of the ocean
03:01:03 of 8,200 feet or even deeper.
03:01:06 They are pretty weak swimmers, so they tend to feed on invertebrates and small fish.
03:01:12 Goblin sharks Swimming through the deep sea, this creepy
03:01:16 shark with a flabby body suddenly sees a small innocent squid.
03:01:21 It goes toward it, but the potential snack notices it and quickly starts moving to dart
03:01:25 away.
03:01:26 It seems like the plan could work at first, but then the shark suddenly thrusts the jaw
03:01:30 of its mouth and catches the poor little squid in a second.
03:01:35 After the meal is finished, the animal simply fits the jaw back into the mouth and goes
03:01:39 away as if nothing happened.
03:01:42 This is possible because it has a jaw connected to 3-inch long flaps of skin, which is why
03:01:47 it can unfold from the snout.
03:01:50 It can grow up to 12 feet long with a weight of 460 pounds.
03:01:54 Most think goblin sharks are mostly active in the morning and evening.
03:01:58 The shark has a long, prominent snout and specific sensing organs on it.
03:02:03 It uses them to sense electrical fields in the dark oceanic depths.
03:02:08 Sevengill shark is a big cow shark, brown to silver-gray on top, white underneath, black
03:02:13 and white spots, with a thick body, a small dorsal fin, and a wide, blunt snout.
03:02:19 It can grow up to 10 feet long, mostly lives in the depth of 1,870 feet, but you can also
03:02:25 find it in deep channels and bays.
03:02:28 It can be aggressive toward humans if provoked.
03:02:30 So don't.
03:02:32 Like most deep-sea creatures, it's an opportunistic hunter that's not quite picky but likes to
03:02:37 go after dolphins, seals, porpoises, and other marine animals.
03:02:42 Megamouth sharks mostly live in the depths of 15,000 feet and spend most of their time
03:02:48 in the dark, like me.
03:02:50 Scientists discovered it in 1976 because it went near the surface at night to feed on
03:02:55 zoo plankton.
03:02:56 That's the only time these sharks go there.
03:02:59 During the day, they return to their quiet, dark, and mysterious depths.
03:03:03 They are filter feeders, which means they keep their mouths wide open while swimming,
03:03:08 so they filter the planktons they like to eat.
03:03:11 There are organs that produce light inside of their mouths, which attracts potential
03:03:15 prey such as pelagic crustaceans.
03:03:18 These sharks live in the deep parts of the ocean, but you can rarely find them below
03:03:22 almost 2 miles.
03:03:25 Scientists think some other, stronger bony fishes outcompeted them.
03:03:29 Deep parts of oceans became oxygenated around 70 million years ago, and sharks have been
03:03:34 around way longer.
03:03:36 But bony fishes adjusted and adapted efficient ways to use oxygen, while sharks were slow
03:03:41 with adaptations, so they lost.
03:03:44 Also, oceanic depths are way colder, which is challenging for fish and the rest of cold-blooded
03:03:50 animals because the speed of their metabolism widely depends upon the external temperature.
03:03:56 That's it for today!
03:03:58 So hey, if you pacified your curiosity, then give the video a like and share it with your
03:04:02 friends!
03:04:03 Or if you want more, just click on these videos and stay on the Bright Side!

Recommended

2:02:38
Up next
Terrifying Sea Creatures That Will Haunt Your Dreams
Bright Side
2:04:37
What If Crabs Became Giant + 10 Weird What-Ifs
Bright Side
2:16:07
75 Facts That Will Make You Want More
Bright Side
3:06:01
These Ocean Creatures Will Make You Rethink Your Next Dive
Bright Side
2:05:47
Animal Facts That Will Make You Their Biggest Fan
Bright Side
2:05:25
The Deeper, the Scarier: Terrifying Creatures of the Deep Sea
Bright Side
2:08:28
These Phenomena Show How Little We Know About Earth
Bright Side
2:01:25
If You're a What-If Curious Mind, Click and Dive In
Bright Side
2:04:25
Facts That Make You Realize We're Wonders of Weirdness
Bright Side
3:07:47
Everyday Facts That Will Make You Question Everything You Know
Bright Side
1:59:10
Animal Facts That Are Too Crazy to Be True (But They Are!)
Bright Side
2:06:05
50+ Things Your Everyday Stuff Can Do
Bright Side
2:01:04
Travel Tips So Cool, You'll Thank Us Later
Bright Side
2:06:05
50 Space Facts That Will Astonish and Astound You
Bright Side
2:11:02
99 Facts That Prove the Ocean Is Scarier Than You Thought
Bright Side
2:09:28
These Facts Will Make You the Perfect Icebreaker at Any Party
Bright Side
2:13:56
If Nature Shows You This, Consider Yourself Rare
Bright Side
2:10:24
Amazing Body Facts You Won't Forget Tomorrow
Bright Side
1:59:33
The Real Titanic Story: Surprising Facts Uncovered
Bright Side
2:08:27
Wild Secrets And Mysteries Of The Animal World
Bright Side
2:07:05
Giant Crocodile VS. Giant Shark + More Deep Sea Oddities
Bright Side
2:04:03
Natural Phenomena Best Watched from a Distance
Bright Side
2:09:49
These Space Facts Will Remind You How Small We Are
Bright Side
2:05:26
Space Facts That Will Inspire You to Look Up
Bright Side
2:04:20
A Cool Way to Check Your Attentiveness
Bright Side