Pressurised RecoveryA Short Deep Sea Life Encyclopedia

Pressurised RecoveryChapter

PrefacePressurised Recovery is the process of bringing deep sea fish from their deep sea homes, up to the surface at the original pressure that they can sustain life at. In 2008, the record of deepest recovery at 1,400 metres was broken by researchers operating at two vent fields in the mid atlantic range. This was also the first time a high

pressure capture had occured at a hydrothermal vent.The animal caught was a species of Shrimp and was caught at 7,500ftand was named Rimicaris exoculata.

In 2010, The new Marine Census was released catalogging over 2,500 new species of fish, many of which were believed only to exist in mythology and old fisherman’s folklore.

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Atlantic Hagfish - Myxine glutinosa The Atlantic Hagfish is one of the most revolting creatures in the sea. There is actually debate among researchers as to whether the hagfish is a fish, as over 60 different species are known to exist in scienctific recovery. Hagfish have the bodily appearance of an eel that averages 18 inches in length, although it is thought that they can grow as long as 32 inches (nearly a metre).

The Hagfish has been recovered as deep as 16,000 metres under the sea, in the Abyssopelagic zone.

a) Mouthb) Notochordc) Muscle Segments

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The giant squid - Architeuthis dux A deep-ocean dwelling squid in the Cephalopod class.Has been recovered as far down as 1,000 ft. Giant squid can grow to a tremendous size: recent estimates put the maximum size at 13 metres from caudal fin to the tip of the two long tentacles. There have been claims reported of specimens of 20 metres (66 ft) or more, but no animals of such size have been documented.

The Giant squid was long believed not to exist at all except in old sailing mythologies as the “Kraken”.

a) Posterior Surface, Mantleb) Siphonc) Hunting Tentacle(s)

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Fig 1. Six Gilled Shark - Hexanchus Griseus Six Gilled Sharks are usually slow moving, but their physical build up allows them to achieve high bursts of speed when catching their prey. They are predators, feeding mostly on cephalopods and fish. These sharks spend most of their time in waters as deep as 6,000ft during the day. At night, Griseus surface to feed, but remain harmless to divers unless provoked.Hexanchus Griseus are commonly 12 to 18 ft long and other common names include; The Cow Shark and the Mud Shark.

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Fig 2. Sperm Whale - Physeter macrocephalus The Sperm Whale can grow to a length of 67 feet (20.5 metres) and weigh over 63 tonnes and have been recorded at depths of over 10,000 ft. The Sperm Whale is largest of the toothed whales, which includes the Killer Whale and Dolphin. The whales get their name from the oily fat (spermaceti) which is in their large heads. These animals were hunted ferociously by

whaling fisherman because of the oily fat they contain and their whale blubber.

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Viper Fish - Chauliodus sloani The Viper Fish is a relatively small animal, in spite of it’s ferocious appearance, which grows to about 12 inches (30 centimetres) in length. It is usually dark blue in colour, but its colouration can vary from brown to black or silver. There are several bioluminescant photophores located all along the side of the fish, but the main light organ is located at the end of the elongated dorsal fin ray.

The Viper Fish has been recovered and recorded as deep as 5,000 ft in the Bathypelagic zone. The Viper Fish’s natural habitat is worldwide and other names for the fish include Sloan’s Fangfish and Sloan’s Viper.

a) Bioluminescant Dorsal Fin rayb) Shock Absorbant spinal tract.

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The Chambered Nautilus - Nautilus Pompillus Considered by many to be a living fossil, Nautilus Pompilius is the most common and biggest specimen of six recorded species. Like Coelacanth, the Chambered Nautilus has remained the same for 400 million years. During prehistoric times there were over 10,000 different species of Nautilus but only a small handful are known to survive today.

The Nautilus’ natural habitat is in the Mesopelagic Zone, at about 1,800 ft.

a) Mantle Cavityb) Hoodc) Tentacle (Propulsion)d) Gill

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Black Dragonfish- Grammatostomias flagellibarba The deep sea Dragonfish, also known as the scaleless dragonfish, is a deadly predator that inhabits the deep oceans worldwide. Known scientifically as; Grammatostomias flagellibarba, it has extremely large teeth in comparison to its own body size. In spite of its unappealing appearance, it is a small fish whichmeasures about 6 inches (about 15

centimeters) long. There are several different species of Dragonfish. The deep sea Dragonfish is one of the many species of deep sea fish that is able to produce its own bodily light through a chemical process known to us as bioluminescence. The light is produced by an organ known as a photophore. It is believed that the fish can use these flashing lights in the dark to attract prey and even to signal mates.

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The Dragonfish has a large head and mouth with many sharp, fang-like teeth. It also has a long protrusion known as a barbel attached to its chin. This barbel is tipped with a light-producing photophore.

a) Dorsal fin (propulsion)

b) Fang- like teethc) Barbel & Bioluminescant tipd) Photophore

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Comb Jelly - Cteniphora Tentaculata Commonly known as Comb Jellies, These creatures inhabit marine waters worldwide. The most distinctive feature they possess are the “combs”, or groups of cilia that they use for swimming and they are the largest animals that use this method. Adults range from a few millimetres to 1.5 metres (59 in) in size.

The Comb Jelly has been recorded as deep as 9,900 ft in the Bathypelagic Zone.

a)Ciliab) Cell coating

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Gulper Eel- Eurypharynx pelecanoides The mouth is loosely hinged and can be opened wide enough to swallow an animal bigger than itself. The Gulper’s prey is then deposited into a pouch-like lower jaw which can also stretch in size. Another common name for the Gulper Eel is the Umberella Mouth Gulper.

The Gulper Eel grows to sizes ranging between 3 - 6 ft and can be found as deep as 6,500 ft aligned with the continental slope in the Bathypelagic Zone.

a) Miniature Pectoral Finb) Hinged Lower Jawc) Size Adjustable Stomach

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Fig.1 Angler Fish - Melanocetus johnsoni The Angler Fish is one of the most well known fish of the deep sea and is commonly called the Black Devil because of its colour and appearance. The Angler fish resides at around 300ft below sea level in the Mesopelagic zone and navigates the dark waters by use of a photophore on a stem on the top of its cranial lobe which is bioluminescant. Despite not being in the same classified family,

the Angler and the Fangtooth share a striking resemblance.

a) Bioluminescant nodeb) Pelvic Spinec) Mandible

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Fig.2 “Fangtooth” - Arnopolgaster cornuta Undoubtedly the most noticable feature of the Fangtooth is its siccle like front teeth which are so large the fish cannot close its mouth. The Fangtooth resides at below 16,000 ft, which is within the Abyssopelagic Zone.

a) Olfactoryb) Dental Bonec) Pelvic Spine

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Amphipod - Crustacean Malacostraca The name Amphipoda means “different-footed” and refers to the different forms of appendages, unlike isopods where all the legs are alike. Of the 7,000 species, 5,500 are classified into the Gammaridea sub order. Amphipoda is an order of malacostracan crustaceans with no carapace with laterally compressed bodies. Amphipods range in size from 1 to 340 millimetres (0.039

to 13 in) and are mostly detritivores. They live in almost all aquatic environments.

a) Pleopodsb) Antennae

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Vampire Squid - Vampyroteuthis Infernalis At 30 cm (1 ft) in length, the Vampire Squid poses no threat to humans. Its 15 cm gelatinous body varies in colour between jet-black and pale red depending on lighting conditions and location. A webbing of skin connects its eight tentacles, each lined with rows of spines or cirri; the inside of this “cloak” is black.

Only the distal half of the arms have suckers. Its limpid, globular eyes which appear red or blue depending on lighting, are proportionately the largest in the animal kingdom at 2.5 cm in diameter.

a) Cirrib)Limpid eye

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Coelacanth - Coelacanthus The coelacanths are related to lungfishes and tetrapods and were believed to have been extinct since the end of the Cretaceous period. More closely related to tetrapods than even the ray-finned fish, coelacanths were considered the “missing link” between the fish and the tetrapods. This discovery 65 million years after they were believed to have gone extinct makes them arguably the most well-known example of a

Lazarus taxon, a species that seems to have disappeared from fossil records only to reappear much later. Since 1938, Latimeria chalumnae have been found in the Comoros, Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, Madagascar, and in iSimangaliso and Kwazulu-Natal in South Africa.

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The Coelacanth has been recovered and recorded as deep as 2,000 ft, in the Bathypelagic zone of the ocean and is believed to inhabit the oceans worldwide.

a) 3 Lobed Tailb) Ventral Finc) Anal Find) Sail like Dorsal Fin

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“Pressurised Recovery”This book was created to celebrate the release of the 2010 marine census, in which over 6,000 new species of

sea life has been discovered.