1. **Blue Bomber Worm**:
This newly discovered deep-sea worm has a unique defense strategy: it releases tiny, glowing balloon-like structures to distract predators. Researchers have discovered seven new species of segmented worms, five of which use these glowing “bombs” to escape predators. These glowing structures are thought to be modified gills that only light up when released. The worms live at depths of up to 1.9 km and are capable of using the hairs on their bodies to repel threats.
2. **Beach-Dwelling Mussel**:
A rare mollusk, *Alanus scrobiculatus*, has returned after 31 years. It has an orange-yellow shell covered in a layer of slimy hair, which helps it avoid predators. It lives in shallow waters near rocky reefs in Papua New Guinea and is distinct from its close relatives, such as the Nautilus.
3. **Oarfish**:
An 18-foot oarfish, a deep-sea fish rarely found in shallow water, washed ashore in California. The fish can grow up to 50 feet long and typically lives in deep ocean depths, but the fish may have died of natural causes and been swept ashore by currents.
4. **Two-Headed Shark**:
A fisherman off the coast of Florida caught a bull shark that had a fetus with two heads. This is one of the rare cases of this phenomenon, where an embryo stops developing midway through its development and splits into two heads. This makes it difficult for the shark to survive in the wild because of its unusual shape.
5. **Longfin Mako Shark**:
A longfin mako shark was satellite-tagged and traveled more than 5,000 miles, traveling from Cuba to the coast of New Jersey. This shark has also amazed scientists with its ability to dive to depths of up to 1,752 m, in near-freezing temperatures.
6. **Discovery in the Mid-Atlantic Ridge**:
An expedition discovered many new and strange marine species in the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, including previously unknown crustaceans, spotted squid and fearsome vipers with hammer-like teeth. These discoveries have increased our understanding of the biodiversity of the deep ocean.
7. **Goose Fish (Monkfish)**:
This fish has bulging eyes and a wide mouth, and walks on the sea floor thanks to its fins. It hunts by using a special lure on its head to attract prey before pouncing on it at lightning speed.
8. **Underwater Shark Tooth Cemetery**:
Researchers have discovered a “shark tooth cemetery” on the ocean floor 5,400 kilometers below the sea’s surface, containing thousands of shark teeth, including those belonging to extinct sharks like the Megalodon. These teeth have accumulated over time as sharks regularly replace their teeth.
9. **Cookie Cutter Shark**:
This small shark is famous for its habit of cutting out small, cookie-shaped pieces from larger sharks and whales. Despite its small size, this shark can prey on animals as large as the great white, and they can also attack humans.
10. **Shark Fin Removal**:
Shark finning, the practice of removing only the fins and discarding the rest of the shark, has led to a significant decline in shark populations worldwide. The Global Fin Print project was launched to study and protect endangered sharks, and collect important data to support conservation strategies.
11. **Rare Pouched Shark**:
The pouched shark is a rare species, with only two specimens recorded. The second specimen was discovered in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010, and was identified as a new species in 2015. It is only about 14 cm long and has a special pouch near its pectoral fin that glows.
12. **Viper Dogfish**:
This shark has shiny black skin, sharp teeth, and glassy eyes. It lives in the deep sea and has a dilated jaw, which helps it hunt effectively. This species is very rare and remains a mystery to researchers.
13. **Frilled Shark**:
This shark is called a “living fossil” because it has not changed in 80 million years. It has about 300 sharp teeth, arranged in a bow-tie shape, which help it catch and kill prey.
14. **Mega Mouth Shark**:
This shark went extinct about 23 million years ago, but scientists have discovered that it used its giant mouth to filter food such as plankton and small fish.
15. **Mysterious Hybrid Shark from the Bermuda Triangle**:
A strange creature has been found floating in the waters of the Bermuda Triangle, a shark that is a hybrid of at least seven different shark species. DNA analysis shows that it is a strange hybrid that scientists have yet to explain.
16. **Greenland Shark**:
This shark is known to have the longest lifespan of any vertebrate, living for centuries in the cold waters of the Arctic and North Atlantic.
