The fangtooth fish, dog-faced witch eel and the deep sea lobster larva may not have the most appealing names, but as these pictures show, they are real beauties in the flesh.
Rarely seen by humans, these creatures are normally found thousands of feet below sea level where they live in complete darkness.
The photographs were taken as Californian biologists prepared to examine them at an aquarium in the state.
Thanks to the efforts of photographer David Wrobel, the world now has a unique glimpse of them up close - and in crystal clear quality.
The shots of the fangtooth fish, giant isopod and predatory Pacific viperfish show the fascinating variety of life in the deepest, darkest parts of the ocean.
Mr Wrobel, a former husbandry biologist at Monterey Bay Aquarium, snapped the intriguing creatures from less than a foot away as they were held captive in small aquariums.
A data analyst at Harvard Medical School, he added: ‘I love these photos because they represent creatures that are rarely seen and photographed.
‘They're not familiar to most people.
‘The deep sea is populated with an amazing array of bizarre fish and invertebrates.
‘It's important for people to know that it's not a barren wasteland, but instead includes a wide variety of habitats that need to be protected.’
The giant isopod is a deep-water Atlantic species, while the others are bottom-dwelling and mid-water creatures from the coast of California.
Mr Wrobel said the animals were collected using a trawl or remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV).
The benthic predatory tunicate and benthic jellyfish would have been picked up by an ROV with a robotic arm.
A suction device or chamber on the machine would have been used to hold the witch-eel, whereas the viperfish would have needed a special trawl.
Mr Wrobel said: ‘The ROV collection was less traumatic for the creatures.
‘But it was more expensive and far less productive in the number of animals collected.’
source: dailymail
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