Green Leaf Shape

Otherworldly Photos Of The Deep Sea

Wreck of the “USAT Liberty”

During World War II, the USAT Liberty was beached after being torpedoed by a Japanese submarine, on the island of Bali, Indonesia.

Walk, don’t swim

The blob-like hairy frogfish derives its common name from the “hairy” spines that cover its body. This bizarre-looking creature, found in warm waters around the globe, doesn’t swim.

Drifting like a weed

Weedy sea dragons are found in the waters off southern and eastern Australia, where they happily “tumble and drift in the current like seaweed.”

Bright colours in the dark

Bigfin reef squid, which live in warm coastal waters near reefs, sea grass beds, sandy bottoms, and rocky shorelines, can change their body colour and pattern in a flash.

As cute as a…slug

Bullock’s Hypselodoris uses its brilliant colours (derived from the food it eats) to ward off predators and secretes acid to deter unwanted attention.

In a brighter world

Linckia laevigata or blue staris one of the roughly 2,000 types of sea stars that live in the ocean. Here in the Philippines, a star sits on a block of coral, topped by a yellow feather star.

A coral “hand”

Soft leather coral cups a little egg cowrie in its “hand” at Sabang Beach in the Philippines. These curious-looking creatures mainly venture out at night and are believed to be territorial.

Giant clams

The world’s largest mollusks, giant clams can reach up to 1.2 metres (four feet) in length, weigh more than 225 kilograms (500 pounds), and live over 100 years.

Flying through the water

At first glance, this swarm of spotted eagle rays looks like a flock of birds flying through the blue sky. And yet, they’re swimming over the sandy bottom of the Great Barrier Reef.