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Real life 'Sea Monsters'
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Keyser_Soze1
17-03-2014
What is your favourite?

I will begin this thread with the giant Oarfish (Regalecus glesne), a truly magnificent creature which - when seen at the surface - was probably the inspiration for many a sea serpent tale.

At up to 17 metres in length, having a vivid red cox-comb 'mane' and with a beautiful rainbow of irridescent colours when alive, it must be one of the most wonderful fish in the sea.

There are loads of photos on the net, here are just a few.

http://www.bdoutdoors.com/resources_mod/oarfish13.jpg

http://deepseanews.com/wp-content/up...arFish-big.jpg

http://www.bdoutdoors.com/resources_mod/oarfish6.jpg

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-w-XEx79cDu...0/Oarfish2.jpg
Si_Crewe
17-03-2014
I do love the idea of there being all these huge creatures still lurking around in the oceans.

Stuff like the Colossal Squid, Whale-sharks and even the good old Blue whale are just amazing IMO.
woot_whoo
17-03-2014
The frilled shark.

The goblin shark.
Keyser_Soze1
17-03-2014
Originally Posted by Si_Crewe:
“I do love the idea of there being all these huge creatures still lurking around in the oceans.

Stuff like the Colossal Squid, Whale-sharks and even the gool old Blue whale are just amazing IMO.”

Mesonchoteuthis, Architeuthis, Taningia and the other various giant cephalopods are really fascinating creatures.

The Ocean Sunfish (Mola mola) and the Greenland, Sleeper and Goblin sharks are some other huge animals that look like they belong in mythology rather than real life.
DanniLaMone
17-03-2014
This is a bit of a monster

http://funkydowntown.com/wp-content/...in-Britain.jpg
Si_Crewe
17-03-2014
Originally Posted by DanniLaMone:
“This is a bit of a monster

http://funkydowntown.com/wp-content/...in-Britain.jpg”

Yeah, and the spider-crab he's holding is pretty freaky too.

Badum-tish.
Keyser_Soze1
17-03-2014
Originally Posted by DanniLaMone:
“This is a bit of a monster

http://funkydowntown.com/wp-content/...in-Britain.jpg”

The Japanese Giant Spider Crab (Macrocheira kaempferi) is a cracker!

Another very large species is the Tasmanian Giant Crab (Pseudocarcinus gigas)!

http://metrouk2.files.wordpress.com/...23_466x440.jpg

http://oddstuffmagazine.com/wp-conte...012/10/230.jpg
Si_Crewe
17-03-2014
How about the Coconut Crab?
That looks like a bit of a bruiser.
Keyser_Soze1
17-03-2014
Originally Posted by Si_Crewe:
“How about the Coconut Crab?
That looks like a bit of a bruiser.”

The largest land arthropod in the world.
Si_Crewe
17-03-2014
Originally Posted by Keyser_Soze1:
“The largest land arthropod in the world. ”

I seem to recall reading, somewhere, that it's a proper "ultimate evolution" of an arthropod.
The theory goes that once you go bigger than the coconut crab you reach a point where there isn't enough room inside the shell to house the muscles and organs needed to actually make the creature viable.
So, apparently, you're just never going to find a 20ft tall crab anywhere, on any planet with gravity similar to Earth.

Just as well really. That's plenty big enough IMO.
Keyser_Soze1
17-03-2014
The Giant Isopod (Bathynomus giganteus) always makes me smile when I think of the humble little woodlouse.

http://www.blogalileo.com/wp-content...giganteus3.jpg

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_FeaU01D-3w...teus+giant.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi..._giganteus.jpg
Keyser_Soze1
17-03-2014
Originally Posted by Si_Crewe:
“I seem to recall reading, somewhere, that it's a proper "ultimate evolution" of an arthropod.
The theory goes that once you go bigger than the coconut crab you reach a point where there isn't enough room inside the shell to house the muscles and organs needed to actually make the creature viable.
So, apparently, you're just never going to find a 20ft tall crab anywhere, on any planet with gravity similar to Earth.

Just as well really. That's plenty big enough IMO.”

And the breathing system of insects severely limits their size.

However when there was more oxygen in the atmosphere (in the Carboniferous and Permian periods) there were dragonflies the size of hawks - Meganeura monyi and Meganeuropsis permiana for example .
Si_Crewe
17-03-2014
Originally Posted by Keyser_Soze1:
“And the breathing system of insects severely limits their size.

However when there was more oxygen in the atmosphere (in the Carboniferous and Permian periods) there were dragonflies the size of hawks - Meganeura monyi and Meganeuropsis permiana for example . ”

That's what happens when you rely on 2nd-rate hardware such as book-lungs, I guess.

As a kid I recall swatting a fly and wondering how come we have all these internal organs and yet insects just seem to contain "yellow goo" so I had a look at an encyclopedia to learn a bit about what's actually inside them.

Regarding the giant woodlice, have you ever seen the movie "The Bay"?
It ends up getting a bit silly but it's actually quite an enjoyable flick.
It's a sort of "mockumentary" about giant parasitic lice.
Keyser_Soze1
17-03-2014
Originally Posted by Si_Crewe:
“That's what happens when you rely on 2nd-rate hardware such as book-lungs, I guess.

As a kid I recall swatting a fly and wondering how come we have all these internal organs and yet insects just seem to contain "yellow goo" so I had a look at an encyclopedia to learn a bit about what's actually inside them.

Regarding the giant woodlice, have you ever seen the movie "The Bay"?
It ends up getting a bit silly but it's actually quite an enjoyable flick.
It's a sort of "mockumentary" about giant parasitic lice. ”

I haven't seen it but it sounds like fun!
archiver
17-03-2014
I think the angler fish proves that when it comes to monsters - size isn't everything :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-BbpaNXbxg
Keyser_Soze1
17-03-2014
Originally Posted by archiver:
“I think the angler fish proves that when it comes to monsters - size isn't everything :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-BbpaNXbxg”

That video was great fun!

Techno-Luddite that I am I do not know how to posts video connections but Youtube has many fantastic examples of deep-sea fauna. A lot of the creatures in the abyssal depths look more fearsome than any fictional monster we could have ever imagined.

Life is hard, and you eat whenever the opportunity arises.

Just look at this greedy b*****d.

It's a Black (or Great) Swallower (Chiasmodon niger), in 2007 this example was discovered and although only 19 cm (7.4 in) long it had consumed a snake mackerel (Gempylus serpens) 86 cm (34 in) long, over four times its own length!

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Br1rQvAweM..._swallower.jpg
Keyser_Soze1
17-03-2014
Bumping this thread because I think that photo of the Black Swallower is just incredible.

Evolutionary adaptation pushed to it's absolute limits.
Keyser_Soze1
21-03-2014
Another bump.

I am fascinated by the creatures of the ocean, because although they are being decimated at least the sea's ecosystems still has some very large Mega-fauna, unlike on the land where we have wiped out just about every awesome creature that ever came into contact with us.

Thanks to Mankind the only continent that has a few large land animals left is Africa, and due to Oriental 'Traditional Medicine' (total and utter bollocks) that will not be the situation for very much longer.

Perhaps I should change the title to 'Real Life Sea-Shaggers'! It would certainly get a lot more interest!
Keyser_Soze1
17-08-2014
Bumping this for some publicity for good old Eunice aphroditois - otherwise known (wrongly as it turns out) as the Bobbit worm.

Three metres of a voracious carnivorous invertebrate.

Awesome, beautiful and terrifying in equal measure.

http://animals.io9.com/this-worm-is-...ing-1622516345

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-JWkiIozGI

http://www.liveleak.com/ll_embed?f=40d43d621718

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eunice_aphroditois#Name

http://vimeo.com/73997797
anne_666
17-08-2014
Originally Posted by Keyser_Soze1:
“Bumping this for some publicity for good old Eunice aphroditois - otherwise known (wrongly as it turns out) as the Bobbit worm.

Three metres of a voracious carnivorous invertebrate.

Awesome, beautiful and terrifying in equal measure.

http://animals.io9.com/this-worm-is-...ing-1622516345

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-JWkiIozGI

http://www.liveleak.com/ll_embed?f=40d43d621718

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eunice_aphroditois#Name

http://vimeo.com/73997797”

Bloody hell! The size of it! That's one clever vicious worm! Love the name and the Clint music on the last video!
Keyser_Soze1
17-08-2014
Originally Posted by anne_666:
“Bloody hell! The size of it! That's one clever vicious worm! Love the name and the Clint music on the last video! ”



Yeah it's a pretty awesome beast Ann - there are loads of videos on the net of it devouring some poor unfortunate animal.
sadmuppet
17-08-2014
It's like something out of Alien!

Nature is a wonderful thing!
Keyser_Soze1
17-08-2014
Originally Posted by sadmuppet:
“It's like something out of Alien!

Nature is a wonderful thing! ”

Yes indeed it is.

I am glad I bumped this - I will post some other remarkable beasts when I have more time.
anne_666
17-08-2014
Originally Posted by Keyser_Soze1:
“Yes indeed it is.

I am glad I bumped this - I will post another remarkable beast when I have more time. ”

Don't you dare!
Keyser_Soze1
17-08-2014
Originally Posted by anne_666:
“Don't you dare! ”

Don't panic I will not post the monstrous beast that lurks behind my boxers...
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