Out of the Blue: In 1938, scientists were amazed when South African fisherman caught a blue, five-foot-long coelacanth-a fish that was thought to have been extinct for at least 60 million years.
Big Snout: First caught in 1897 by Japanese fisherman off the coast of Yokohama, the rare goblin shark is a throwback to sharks that lived 25 to 30 million years ago. With its dagger-shaped snout, it could not look more prehistoric
Jet-Propelled: The chambered nautilus has changed very little in the last 150 million years. To swim, it uses a kind of jet propulsion, sucking water into its shell, then shooting it back out to push itself in the opposite direction.
Fooled Ya: The 24-inch long mimic octopus can discourage predators by changing its form to resemble poisonous creatures such as the lionfish and the banded sea snake.
Not Clowning Around: Unlike other fish, clownfish are immune to the sting of anemones, whose poisonous tentacles make the perfect haven for a clownfish on the run from predators.
Hot Tip: Stay away from the fire urchin-or you'll find out how it got its name! This sea urchin's pines have bulbous tips fulled with venom that cause a fiery sensation if touched. Small shrimp often live among the spines for protection.
Gulp: When threatened, the porcupine fish gulps down water until it balloons into a ball of sharp spines, making it impossible for a predator to swallow.
How stunning: The cuttlerfish changes color at will for a variety of reasons, one of which is to hypnotize its prey !
Sand Trap: Sand diver lizardfish bury themselves in the sand, both to hide from predators and to ambush any unwary prey that may wander by.
Turned on: Flashlight fish are equipped with glowing pockets of bacteria below their eyes, which help while hunting in dark water. When a predator is around, however, they can raise a special flap of skin to hide their light and prevent themselves from being seen.
Hiding it Plain Sight: Only a few parts of the Lycoteuthis squid are not transparent-and they are hidden by light organs, which break up the squid's silhouette, making it hard to detect by predaotrs and prey.
Lightheaded: The female anglerfish doesn't have to hunt for her meals. She simply relise on the bulblike lure filled with light-producing bacteria on the top of her head to attract fish for dinner.
Brilliant Blobs of Light: When a crowd of luminous jellyfish get together, they glow so brightly that they can light up the dark sea for miles.
Red Light, Green Light: The stoplight loosejaw fish has red and green light pockets neat its eyes and loosely hinged jaws that are longer than its skull.
Lights Out: The deep-sea shrimp can emit a cloud of light to temporaily blind or distract a predator, allowing the shrimp to disappear into the dark water.
Fairest of Them All: When it comes to natural beauties, none are ovelier than fairy basslets, which make their home among the coral reefs.
Top Notch: The jeweled-top snail would not look out of place in a jewelry box, but the place to find it is in the kelp forest in Monterey Bay, California, Tucked inside its shell are tentacles that the snail uses for smelling and touching.
Hidden Beauty: Brightly colored Tubastraea, or cup orals, live in shady places and feed on microscopic sea creatures.
Muppet Man: No wonder the red spotted blenny spends so much time hidden inside its coral hime. If you looked like a Muppet with measles, you'd probably hide, too.
R-eel Tame: Despite ts unfortunate face, the wolf eel is a charming fellow. Though their sharp teeth and powerful jaws are good for crunching sea urchins, wolf eels have been known to take food gently from the hands of divers.
Batty Looking: Only a mother could love the ugly batfish which uses its fins to crawl along the ocean floor.
Deep Thought: In 1979, Alvin, the world's first deep-sea submersible, gave scientists their first glimpse of geothermal vents, which are called smokers, and the strange sea lige that thrives around them.
Smokin: Geothermal vents(below) blast out hot dark fluids filled with minerals and poisonous gases, such as hydrogen sulfide. Bacteria that live in hydrogen sulfide support entire ecosystems of larger sea creatures.
Gutless Wonders: Adult tubeworms don't have eyes, mouths, or guts. How do they survive? Billions of bacteira living inside their bodies convert hydrogen sulfide into nutriennts for the tubeworms.
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