![]() However, most organic components of marine snow are consumed by microbes, zooplankton and other filter-feeding animals within the first 1000 m of their journey, that is, within the epipelagic zone. ![]() ![]() The "snowflakes" grow over time and may reach several centimetres in diameter, travelling for weeks before reaching the ocean floor. Marine snow includes dead or dying plankton, protists ( diatoms), fecal matter, sand, soot and other inorganic dust. Its origin lies in activities within the productive photic zone. In deep water, marine snow is a continuous shower of mostly organic detritus falling from the upper layers of the water column. In the deep ocean, the waters extend far below the epipelagic zone, and support very different types of pelagic fishes adapted to living in these deeper zones. Environment Scale diagram of the layers of the pelagic zone The deep sea is also an extremely hostile environment, with temperatures that rarely exceed 3 ☌ (37 ☏) and fall as low as −1.8 ☌ (29 ☏) (with the exception of hydrothermal vent ecosystems that can exceed 350 ☌, or 662 ☏), low oxygen levels, and pressures between atm (between 2 and 100 MPa). Because this typically extends only a few hundred meters below the water, the deep sea, about 90% of the ocean volume, is in darkness. The epipelagic zone (0–200 m) is the area where light penetrates the water and photosynthesis occurs. These zones make up about 75% of the inhabitable ocean space. The bathypelagic and abyssopelagic zones are aphotic, meaning that no light penetrates this area of the ocean. This area is also where nutrients are most abundant. The oxygen minimum layer exists somewhere between a depth of 700 m and 1000 m deep depending on the place in the ocean. The mesopelagic zone is the disphotic zone, meaning light there is minimal but still measurable. However, characteristics of deep-sea organisms, such as bioluminescence can be seen in the mesopelagic (200–1000 m deep) zone as well. Deep-sea organisms generally inhabit bathypelagic (1000–4000 m deep) and abyssopelagic (4000–6000 m deep) zones. ![]() This means that they live in the water column as opposed to the benthic organisms that live in or on the sea floor. Only about 2% of known marine species inhabit the pelagic environment. Other deep sea fishes include the flashlight fish, cookiecutter shark, bristlemouths, anglerfish, viperfish, and some species of eelpout. The lanternfish is, by far, the most common deep-sea fish. Can you pick out a ghost fish and vampire squid? Goblin shark and blackdragon fish? What about the black swallower? (Yes, they are as scary as they sound.Deep-sea fish are fish that live in the darkness below the sunlit surface waters, that is below the epipelagic or photic zone of the sea. Until then, take this quiz to learn whether you can correctly identify the following 40 incredible deep-sea creatures. Of course, these are just the deep-sea creatures that scientists know about there are surely thousands more yet to be discovered. From self-cloning abilities to light-up appendages, from translucent skin to telescope-shaped eyes, they have adapted to the harsh conditions with a number of remarkable characteristics. These largely nocturnal creatures roam hundreds to thousands of feet deeper. "Deep-sea creatures" refers to those that live below the photic zone of the ocean, which is the part of the water that is exposed to sunlight. Yet, learning about them can still be quite shocking. It makes sense that animals living in pitch darkness, freezing temperatures, and with little oxygen and food would be very different from the warm-blooded dolphins and angelfish that splash above. Though humans have only explored about three percent of the ocean floor during their deep-sea ventures, they have found plenty of mysterious and otherworldly creatures.
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