20 Deep Sea Creatures That'll Scare You Away From The Ocean

Ashley Reign

Updated September 23, 2021 1.2M views 20 items

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69.1K votes

6.9K voters

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Vote up the creepiest mugs lurking beneath the waves.

Do you occasionally enjoy the peace and quiet of a nice day out on the waves? Love the occasional cute sea creature that pops up to say hello when you’re chilling at the beach? Well, then you may have come to the wrong place! Here we’ve collected a list of some of the most disturbing scary sea creatures that roam beneath the waves. We’ve scoured the depths of the deepest waters to find a list of creepy creatures and scary fish that prove that the deep sea and ocean depths are the most horrifying places on Earth.

You may think twice about taking up Scuba-diving after getting a load of some of these deep sea fish, who range from weird to terrifying. While some of these creatures, such as the Dumbo octopus, could possibly be considered cute in the right light, others such as the goblin shark are just plain terrifying. Among this collection, you’ll find both deep sea dwellers that have been known to mankind for quite some time, as well as others that were only discovered as recently as the past decade and remain relatively mysterious.

So if you’re ready to get a load of what lurks beneath the surface, take a look at some of the most bizarre deep sea creatures the oceans have to offer. We’ve got a wide range of creatures from the harmless to the lethal, all of which sport the wildly bizarre looks that can only be found way beneath the waves. Whether they’re bottom-dwellers or deep sea swimmers, many of these freaky fish have looks that only a mother fish could love.

1
3,264 VOTES
The Super Scary Fanfin Seadevil
Photo: D. Shale / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 2.0
Though "Fanfin Seadevil" has a terrifying appearance. When mating, the males fuse themselves to the females and share the same bloodstreams!

3,264 votes
2
3,289 VOTES
The Ghoulish Looking Goblin Shark
Photo: Dianne Bray / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 3.0 AU

The "Goblin Shark" is the sole surviving member of a 125 million year-old family of sharks known as "Mitsukurinidae." They are very rare and generally found at depths around 3,000 feet.

3,289 votes
3
2,794 VOTES
The Very Scary Viperfish
Photo: David Csepp / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain

The spooky looking "Viperfish" has teeth that are so large they cannot be contained in its mouth. These large teeth help the Viperfish to hunt in the complete darkness of the deep ocean.

2,794 votes
4
2,547 VOTES
The Very Frightening Fangtooth
Photo: Philippe Guillaume / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 2.0
Though the "Fangtooth" may only grow to around seven inches, but it has some pretty huge teeth. Its super scary appearance has also earned it the nickname, the "saber tooth."

2,547 votes
5
2,704 VOTES
The Freaky Looking Frilled Shark
Photo: Mario Sanchez Bueno / Flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0

This guy is called the "Frilled Shark" and lurks in the depths of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Though they're very rarely seen, scientists think frilled sharks hunt by lunging at their prey like snakes and then swallowing it whole.

2,704 votes
6
2,403 VOTES
The Spooky Looking Snaggletooth
Photo: NOAA Photo Library / Flickr / CC BY 2.0
The creepy looking "Snaggletooth" not only has incredibly sharp teeth, but a special glow in the dark "lure" on its chin that it wiggles to attract prey.

2,403 votes
7
2,185 VOTES
The Horrifying Looking Hatchetfish
Photo: NOAA Photo Library / Flickr / CC BY 2.0
The "Hatchetfish" is found in oceans around the world at depths ranging from 600 to 4,500 feet. They have special light-producing organs, similar to fireflies which allow them to glow in the dark.

2,185 votes
8
1,894 VOTES
The Gruesome Looking Grenadier
Photo: NOAA / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain
The Grenadier is thought to be among the most highly-populated family of deep sea fish in the world. Their tapered tails have also earned them the nick name "Rattails."

1,894 votes
9
2,158 VOTES
The Startling Looking Stargazer
Photo: Rickard Zerpe / Flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0
Don't be fooled by the pretty name - "Stargazers" are not only venomous, but also quite stealthy. Since their eyes and mouths are on top of their heads, they burrow down into the sand, wait for prey to swim overhead, and then leap up and strike!

2,158 votes
10
1,956 VOTES
The Kind of Creepy Kiwa Crab
Photo: Andrew Thurber / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 2.0
The Kiwa Crab, discovered in the South Pacific in 2005, is often nicknamed the "Yeti Crab," due to the blonde setae covering its claws, which resemble fur.

1,956 votes

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2,040 VOTES
The Giantically Giant Squid
Photo: NTNU Vitenskapsmuseet / Flickr / CC BY 2.0
The "Giant Squid" does not disappoint when it comes to living up to its name. One of the largest living organisms in the world, the biggest squids are recorded at 43 feet long.

2,040 votes
12
1,682 VOTES
The Eerie Looking Giant Isopod
Photo: Eric Kilby / Flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0
These bottom dwelling guys are called Giant Isopods and love to burrow into the mud and clay floors of oceans. Due to their incredibly slow metabolisms, they can go years without eating but also conserve their energy by never moving around very much.

1,682 votes
13
1,635 VOTES
The Beasty Looking Batfish
Photo: Betty Wills / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0
The Batfish is a bizarre little bottom-dweller that looks like he's wearing lip stick. Though they aren't great swimmers, batfish have little appendages that allow them to walk around on the ocean floor, where they often hide in the sand and lure prey into their mouths.

1,635 votes
14
1,745 VOTES
The Bizarre Looking Blob Fish
Photo: Unknown / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain
The "Blob Fish," once declared the world's ugliest living organism, tends to hang out at depths of around 2,000 to 3,900 feet. Its body is mostly a gelatinous mass of flesh that's slightly less dense than water. This allows it to hover above the sea floor without using any energy, eating mostly things that happen to float into its path.

1,745 votes
15
1,661 VOTES
The Unassuming Venomous Octopus
Photo: Sylke Rohrlach / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 2.0

Even though it may be among the better looking creatures on the list, the Blue-Ringed Octopus is also among the most dangerous. Not only does it have incredibly potent venom, there is no known antivenin if you fall victim.

1,661 votes
16
1,775 VOTES
The Super Quick Striking Mantis Shrimp
Photo: prilfish / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 2.0
You might think twice before using the term "shrimp" as an insult after meeting the "Mantis Shrimp," one of the most creatively violent creatures on earth. They have two non-assuming looking appendages in the front of their body, which can actually shoot out with the speed and force of a bullet fired from a rifle. The speed at which this little guy's limbs can move causes the water around him to boil, creating an underwater shock wave which can kill creatures in its path, even if the super shrimp misses them when he strikes!

1,775 votes
17
1,727 VOTES
The Spooky Looking Snakehead Fish
Photo: Melanochromis / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain
These predatory fish, known as snakeheads, are native to Asia, but they are an invasive species in the United States. Most strangely, they can breathe air and survive on land for several days. Authorities have told Georgians who accidentally catch the creature to kill it immediately.

1,727 votes
18
1,259 VOTES
The Frightening Looking Frogfish
Photo: Aquaimages / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 2.5
These short, stocky little guys are known as "Frogfish" and are masters of disguise. Not only do they have a coral-like appearance in general, they can also change colors in order to blend in with their surroundings. This not only protects them from predators but allows them to lie in wait for prey, which they then strike out at rapidly.

1,259 votes
19
1,267 VOTES
The Awfully Creepy Amphipod
Photo: Smithsonian Environmental Research Center / Flickr / CC BY 2.0
Though the Amphipod may be a creepy looking little guy, he's generally known as a scavenger and doesn't grow much larger than 5.5 inches. He and his pals look like of like see through sea ticks.

1,267 votes
20
1,460 VOTES
The Super Stealthy Leafy Seadragon
Photo: Derek Ramsey / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 2.5
A close relative of the seahorse, this little guy is known as the "Leafy Seadragon" and is one of the best disguised creatures on the planet. Often content to float around like seaweed, which it's often mistaken for, the seadragon survives on tiny crustaceans such as mysids.

1,460 votes