Image Gallery: Catalog of Strange Sea Creatures

Under the Sea

deep sea creatures, ocean animals, ocean animal images, ocean animal catalogue, what lives under the ocean, marine life images — (Image credit: WoRMS Photo Gallery / Paulay, Gustav, 2010)

Scientists recently created a complete catalog of all known marine life. While 226,000 species have been described, there may hundreds of thousands more hidden in the deep. While the ocean is still a vast unknown, scientists believe that most of the sea's undiscovered species will be found by the end of the century.

Glowing jellyfish

The stalked jellyfish Haliclystus californiensis lives between depths of 33 feet (10 meters) and 99 feet (30 m) below the waters off the California coast. Unlike other members of its genus, the bright red sea creature has horseshoe-shaped anchors and prominent glandular pads on its outer tentacles.

Wavy Sea Slug

The sea slug Chromodoris kuniei ransoni lives in the islands off the remote archipelago in French Polynesia. The species was first discovered in 1930.

Pippi Longstocking Worm

The transluscent Ophryotrocha langstrumpae sports long antennae that resemble braids, just like the children's book heroine. The worm lives off the Southern California coast and was first described in 2012.

Blue Sea Squirt

The bizarre Clavelina moluccensis, looks like a bouquet of iridescent slinkies. The blue sea squirt lives on dead coral from Australia to the Mariana Islands, and filters nutrients from water passing by. The creature was first described in 1904.

Ubiquitous Crustacean

This specimen of Crenarctus bicuspidatus was collected from shallow waters off Taiwan in 2010. The crustacean, first discovered in 1905, inhabits oceans from South Africa all the way to Japan. It is often found in shallow waters and prefers sandy seabeds littered with broken shells and dead coral.

Bryde's Whale

The majestic Balaenoptera edeni was first discovered in 1878 but takes its common name from Johan Bryde, who set up the first whale hunting post in Durban, South Africa. The majestic sea creatures prefer warmer coastal waters and can grow up to 50 feet (15 meters) in length.

Pelagic Sea Hare

This colorful sea slug was first discovered in 1825 off the coast of New Guinea by French naturalists Joseph Paul Gaimard and Jean René Constant Quoy. The Stylocheilus longicauda lives in warm waters amidst brown algae and rarely ventures close to shore.

Tia is the editor-in-chief (premium) and was formerly managing editor and senior writer for Live Science. Her work has appeared in Scientific American, Wired.com, Science News and other outlets. She holds a master's degree in bioengineering from the University of Washington, a graduate certificate in science writing from UC Santa Cruz and a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. Tia was part of a team at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that published the Empty Cradles series on preterm births, which won multiple awards, including the 2012 Casey Medal for Meritorious Journalism.