35 Nightmare Sea Monsters

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Sci-Fi

35 Nightmare Sea Monsters

By Joe Burgett - November 12, 2019

Deep-Sea Dragonfish

Few know how the Dragonfish got its name, but some feel it is due to the coloring that gives it an eerie appearance. Yet some point to the teeth it has, which are massive and capable of ripping into human flesh if it so desired. It is highly unlikely a human being would come across one in the wild, however. The Deep-Sea Dragonfish earned its name honestly, as it’s located deep in the ocean.

They do not get very large, as they reach roughly 15cm to 26cm or around 5 to 10.5 inches. In spite of their small size, they are considered apex predators in the deep sea. This is due to their absolutely massive jaws, which are completely filled with teeth sharp enough to cut through just about anything it chooses. Due to their cranium and upper jaw, they can open their mouths up to 100 degrees, allowing them to kill and swallow large prey. Even those more than 50% larger than it.

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Stargazer

The Stargazer fish species is relatively large, with around 51 confirmed types known. They are only in saltwater and tend to be found in both shallow and deep water. Thus, they have come across humans quite often. The Stargazer gets its name from the eyes located on the top of their heads. Although, we like to think it also looks up at the stars sometimes too. The name also comes from how it catches prey!

They have a large, upward-facing mouth that they hide while burying themselves in the sand as they wait for prey. Just their weird-looking eyes will be visible and they’ll ambush prey that comes by. The species is also venomous due to its large spines just above their pectoral fin sector. It is said that their venom likely could not kill a human unless they are cut open by a lot of Stargazers or the person is allergic. Yet they are still horrifying sea creatures to look at!

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Ottoia

While there are actual Ottoia creatures out there, for a long time they became the nightmare creature to think about. Why? Due to how they were utilized in books or movies. Ottoias are relatively small but what if they became gigantic?!? In the movie Deep Rising, an Ottoia creature named Argonautica showed up and scared a lot of 90s kids in 1998.

The concept of the character in the film is that it is simply an evolved version of the Cambrian Worm, which we know as the actual Ottoia. Yet if you see the movie, what they do with the character makes it one of the most horrifying sea creatures imaginable. They give it the traits of an actual giant Cambrian Worm while also making it come off as similar to the Kraken. Oh my!

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Gyarados

We know what you’re thinking, did they just add a Pokemon to this list? Yes, yes we did. The Gyarados is often used in Anime, which kind of takes away a lot from how horrifying it would be in real life. This is why we wanted you to see a more realistic version of the creature, should it be seen in person. As you can see, it is quite large.

This Water Type Pokemon is capable of using water abilities to take down opponents or prey. While it is quite a notably fast swimmer and impressively strong in the water, the Gyarados can also fly. Thus making it a dual threat! It typically reaches a little over 6 feet in height as well as 230lbs+ in weight. Overall, it is not one to mess with. In real life, it would likely result in the extinction of mankind.

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Jörmungandr

Those who know about Norse Mythology know all about the Jörmungandr. Of course, those who play the God of War video games might also know of it too. Those games revolve around the Greek/Roman Gods in Mythology, so connecting Norse Mythology to things made sense. The versions you might read about differ depending on where it’s used.

You might also know it a bit from Marvel Comic books or films involving Thor, due to his connection in mythology to it. In Norse Mythology, the Jörmungandr (also known as the Midgard Serpent) is so long that he can wrap all the way around Earth or “Midgard.” He keeps his tail in his mouth, almost as a protecting shield. As the offspring of Loki and Andrboda, once the serpent releases its tail, “Ragnorok” begins. In Mythology, Thor battles and slays the serpent, dying in the process.

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Colossal Squid

While we’ve had a lot of fun discussing some biblical, mythological, or fictional nightmare creatures of the ocean, there is one that is very real and capable of dealing a lot of damage if it desires. Originally discovered in 1925, most did not believe it was true. We found out over the years that they are very real and they tend to be located in the cold, Southern Arctic Ocean.

They can reach a little over 1,000lbs or 490+ kilograms on average. Meanwhile, the largest known have weighed between 1,300 to 1,500lbs or 600 to 700 kilograms. In length, they have been known to reach between 30 to 33 feet or 9 to 10 meters. While one would assume they’d kill prey easily due to their size, they actually tend to be ambush predators and use bioluminescence, or the production of light, to capture prey.

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