The Ocean’s Weirdest Creatures!
You’ll meet some seriously strange creatures here…
Ready to meet some seriously strange creatures? Things you won’t believe actually exist?! Then take a deep breath and join National Geographic Kids as we dive into the deep to get up close and personal with the ocean’s weirdest wonders…
Leafy Sea Dragon
Kangaroo Island, South Australia, Australia. A leafy sea dragon fish.
This may look like your average piece of seaweed but, believe it or not, it’s actually a fish! Found along the southern and western coast of Australia, the leafy sea dragon is a member of the same family as the seahorse – the Syngnathidae family. They grow to around 20-24cm long and feed on plankton and small crustaceans. Moving through the water using their tiny fins, this fab fish”s long, leafy extensions allow it to hide from predators by blending in with seaweed! David Attenborough has said he counts the leafy sea dragon as his favourite animal. Cool, eh?
Christmas Tree Worm
Christmas Tree Worms are found on coral reefs in tropical waters around the world. They get their name from the two spiral “plumes” that look just like – yep, you guessed it – Christmas trees! These hair-like tentacles grow from their small, tube-like bodies, and are used for feeding on microscopic plants and for respiration, allowing the worm to breathe. These cool critters come in different colours, including orange, yellow, blue and white!
Anglerfish
Now here’s a creature that might give you a fright! With its huge head and enormous mouth, these fearsome fish swim in the dark depths of the ocean. Ranging from around 20 centimetres to one metre in length, there are more than 300 species of anglerfish, most of which are found in the Atlantic and Antarctic oceans. So what makes this creature super strange? Well, the female has her own glowing light hanging above her mouth! This luminous flesh attracts unsuspecting prey close to the anglerfish”s sharp, see-through teeth and then…chomp!
Northern Stargazer
Ever seen a fish that looks like this before? Found mainly off the east coast of the United States, this creepy creature grows to around 50cm long. It has a blackish brown body with white spots on its head, and stripes on its tail. The wacky bit? The northern stargazer’s eyes and nostrils are located on the top of its head, and, unlike most fish, its mouth faces upwards! This cunning critter buries itself in the sand, leaving its eyes poking out. And when an unlucky smaller fish swims by, it rises up and swallows its meal in one big gulp!
Red Handfish
Rather than swim through the ocean like most of our fishy friends, this cool creature prefers to walk along the seafloor! Found in the waters of southern Australia and Tasmania, it grows to around 15cm long and has skin covered in tooth-like scales, called “denticles”. So why the name “handfish”? Well, these quirky creatures move around the ocean floor using a unique set of fins that look similar to human hands. There are other kinds of handfish, too, including the spotted handfish and the pink handfish.
Wobbegong
Meet the Wobbegong, a species of the “carpet shark” family – not the piece of old rug that it may first seem! To find one of these super sharks, you’ll need to explore the tropical waters of the western Pacific Ocean and Indian Ocean. Wobbegongs spend their time resting on the sea floor, camouflaged by their flat, tasseled bodies. There they wait for a tasty treat – including fish, octopuses, crabs and lobsters – to pass their way, before…gulp! Some wobbegongs have also been seen to slowly sneak up on their prey, too, in search of some grub.
Photos: Getty Images UK
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COMMENTS
super cool
So cool
woah
Incredible. My favourite is the wobbegong
So cool!
Hello
Awesome!
Awesome!
Wow
This is super interesting. My favourite one is the Red Handfish.
These are super cool!
WHAT? These are crazy. I didn't think they were even real! I researched these creatures on the internet and I saw some of the photos they used. I learnt something new today about fish.
Try your best
Cool
Cool beans!
COOL!
cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool
Cool
The fish is big it get people
Coolest ever!
Cool
Cool
i have seen an anglerfish
Cool as creachers my fav is the leafy sea dragon
Cool as creatures I love the Christmas tree worm
Coolio
creeeeeepy
awesome
So cool love the facts
ok
._.
cool
Its so cool stuf about sea creatures
these are great facts about animals and helps me with my homework
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do ya know out of all the fish in the sea the angler fish is my fav it has been for a long time
I love these fish!!!
they are very weird and wacky especially the red hand fish it is very funny
LOL
Magneficent and Breathtaking!!!
you put allot of efert in this websight
This is very interesting
its owsome
Its AWSOME!!!!
Amazing sea creatures!!!!
sick
We really like this web page.
lol
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coool
it is cool
awesome
Some cool photos
Cool
Good for my biome
good for my biome
That is just the weirdest thing Ive ever read.
They look amazing!
Huh? these things are rally STRANGE… X-D
spectacular!
yay
awsome
lol
Yeh cool
I like NG Kids! Thanks for the facts! I could write some down on paper for School :D but the Nothern Stargazer scared me tho!
really awesome I love it
LOL
THESE ARE THE WEIRDEST CREATURES IVE EVER SEEN!1!!!!!!!!!!
asom
Completely AWESOME!!
The nothern stargazer looks freaky but all of them are amazing!
its great and silly at the same time
coooooooooooooollllll
Wicked
I thought it was amazing to see such weird fish and sea creatures all on one national geographic page it was bliss!
this is banter and just mad
AMAZING these animals are freaking me out!
AMAZING! These creatures freak me out a lot!
the northern stargazer is creepy x10
they look but ugly
MAJOR COOL GUY!
Never new that but now I do !!!!
COOL
cool I love it!!!:) The Red Hand fish is the weirdest and the BEST!!
I found this very interesting because i didnt even know any of them even existed! I would love to see more curious looking creatures and know much more about them all.
cool
I Like This Website!
That was amazing all the different pictures and the facts make it sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo interesting
nice
I am a witch.
wow
Cool!!
Awesome!!
*shivers* some of them are gross
seahorse is my favorite!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Woah!
Wow
Wow
epic
amazing and totally wierd
Weird
Thanks for the great information and pics! :-)
this is cool
These creatures are sooooooooooo cool! Thanks National geographic kids for giving me more information!
Soooooo SICK
i love this site!!!
Great!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
By the way the hand fish is not the cause of evolution
Ok my thoughts on the red hand fish some people think that might be the cause of evolution but for it is not
Save the sharks
Lovely helped me a lot
I love sea creatures
thanks allot for the facts
wow wow wow thanks for the facts National Geographics
I love it so much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!$$$$$
Thats weird
Soooooooooo! weird!
I love this lol
I learnt so much!!!!! Thanks
So amazing! Wow!
poop
Awesome
cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool c
These are the most dorkiest creatures ever.
Booooo
Lol
that is really cool guy isn t it but bye
nous
Aasil Khawaja
sooo cool and woow and cool a nd wow and soooo wooooooooooow
Thats Cool!
wow IT IS AMAZING i did`ent know there were so many diffrent animals under the sea
COOOLLL!!!
cool I did not know most of them existed until now thank you for showing :) :0 :1 :I
Lol
cool!
WOW
WOW
WOW
WOW
You should include blowfish, its funny!
Awesome!
cool
AWSOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
AWESOME
COOL
Cool
so awesome
noys
Elephant weigh as much as a blue Wales tongue
LoL
so freak me out i wet my pants
Very awesome legendary
they are really wierd but awesome!
SO COOL !
wow! i never knew so much about the sea!
looks cool
A and E;I liked the fish with legs it was silly!!!
Wow cool
This is amazing...and creepy!
This is amazing...and creepy!
wow
cool
My favorite!
i love the angler fish.
CRAZY!
Cool!
it kinda freaked me out, but I have seen a jelly fish the size of 2 double decker buses before! I never knew that the ocean had such amazing creatures in it!!!
I never knew the ocean was so weird and wonderful!
cool
Weird but cool
EPic love wobbegong
cool
What a great collection of weird and wonderful things! Loved it.
i like this
Wobbegongs are funny!
Rocks
Awesomely awesome awesomely addictive
wierd but cool!
fablous
yay
AWESOME
kool
that is so cool
I love extraordinary marine life!
Wow, these creatures are amazing!
cool animals
marine biology yaaaaaaaaaay
Wow weird anmials
they are weird
ASOWMELY WIERD.
this is great learning for me
They are so weird and agly some look like rusty rocks
awesomeness!!!!
Thàts weird
there pretty cool
the northern stargazer is so scary !
When I saw the picture of the angerlerfish I was on the edge of my seat amaze facts awesome
Weird i never knew any of these creatures before! ( :
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cool!
Lovely
I would like some more creatures please
The Wobbegong is cool
I always wondered about some weird creatures of the ocean,but now I have seen some so thanks alot
cool!
Wow
awsome
Its nice but more facts
Pretty cool and yet pretty weird!! #Funny
wow this website is good
weird!!!
A little bit weird but awsome well at least a little bit awsome plus the wobbegong and afialy the most weirdest.
wow
i didnt know there were so many cool fish
Freaky but cool, I repeat freaky but cool
Wow I never knew animals who live under water are amazing
cool
Where are the sqid facts for the kids
awsome
Very cool
Nice learning for school:)
Nice learning for school:)
cool
nice history for homework
bit creepy
weird.. but cool!!!
Intresting
coolyo but creppy
WOW
EPIC
Epic animals :)
Amazing
Weird but wonderful!!!
over the moon be the same crazy animals
Thats the weirdest thing Ive ever seen in my life.
thts sooo cool
Totally crazy
that was so silly
CRASY WHOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Is that the first! WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Epic and cool
Amazing and freaky.
Love underwater sea creatures and how strange they are my favorite animal was the Christmas tree worms and the Red hand fish.
new favourite subject. strange creatures in the sea
asome
Crazy!
Seriously freaky!
Weird definitely weird
SO WEIRD!!! my fav is the christmas tree worm!
dude so awsome
THOSE ARE SOOOOO STRANGE!!!!!!!! THERE LIKE ALIENS!!!!!!!! MY FAVE SEA ANIMAL IS THE SEA HORSE!!!! ( LOL)
cool and freaky
This is so interesting and fun dont you guess think
the red hand fish is awesome loveit!!!!!!!!!11
these cretures are so awsome dude i wish i had one of those fish acittuly i wish i had all of those crusty things
Weird
awsome
Amazing creatures of the sea!
We are looking at sea life at school the seaweed seahorse one especially interested me!
;-D
weird no double weird no triple weird no quadruple weird
tHE ANGULAR FISH IS IN nemo! i REALLY ENJOYED THE CHRISTMAS TREE FISH
this is pretty cool
This website is AWSOME
Learning is AWSOME!
facts are cool
there are some wacky little ugly animals in the sea #wierd ...
some creepy but cool animals the creepiest one was the Wobbegong
cool they are freaky but cool
these creatures are so weird and great at camouflage!:)
amazing sea critters though never heard of any of them lol :)
I think these animals are so cool
Cool!
This is really cool!
cool
I think the red hand fish is the coolest but also weird!
wow never heared of most of these bizarre creatures
I think the animals that I have just seen were amazing. I mean I knew there was fish in the sea but I never knew there were things like that!
Awesome!though the stargazer freaked me out a little. Love BlueBaboon xxx
I really didnt like them and I really, really, really would not like to bump into one of them in the swimming pool!
they are so cool I wish I could have one.
this is so weird
i love the sea and when i am older i want to be a marine biologist. but these fish have really helped me study. the sea is more than you think but there is nothing to hate about the sea! my adventure is just begining.
I didnt know there were fish like that in the sea. COOL!!!
omg these r so cool the angler fish is wicked!!1
Red hand fish is so imaginative
Its so ugly but cool
these are so wacky!!!!!!!!
they are so weird
Theyre WEIRD!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The pics ars so cool!!! I wish i could be there with you have a good time ok!!!
Epic!!!!!!
wow, amazing fish are incredible
Cool
wow!
wow i wish i was a fish
scary
Freaky!!!
Id really like to learn more about freaky fish!
LOL!!!
i love sharks and defiantly MEGALADONS .
nice fishes
cool pictures!!
Lol so cool
a dinasaur
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