Atlantic Ocean
The second-largest ocean on the globe, crossed by great migrations of tuna and deep-sea squid.
Pelican eel
Eurypharynx pelecanoides
Pelican eel
Equipped with an oversized mouth able to stretch to swallow prey far larger than itself, it compensates for poor eyesight with a bioluminescent tail used as a lure.
🌊 500–3000 m
- ⚡ Can swallow prey far larger than itself thanks to an extensible stomach
- ⚡ Has a light organ at the tip of its tail used as a lure
Humpback anglerfish
Melanocetus johnsonii
Humpback anglerfish
Hunts in total darkness using a bioluminescent lure dangling above its mouth, and practises one of the strangest reproductive strategies in the animal kingdom: the tiny male ends up fusing with the female.
🌊 300–1200 m
- ⚡ Fishes with a bioluminescent lure produced by symbiotic bacteria
- ⚡ Extreme sexual parasitism: the male fuses physically and vascularly with the female
Giant squid
Architeuthis dux
Giant squid
The source of the Kraken myth for centuries, it is one of the largest invertebrate creatures known, never filmed alive in its natural habitat before 2004.
🌊 300–1000 m
- ⚡ The largest eyes in the animal kingdom (up to 27 cm in diameter)
- ⚡ Copper-based blue blood, adapted to carrying oxygen in cold, deep water
Vampire squid
Vampyroteuthis infernalis
Vampire squid
Despite its terrifying name, "vampire squid from hell", it is a peaceful creature that doesn't hunt but instead filters organic debris drifting in total darkness.
🌊 600–1200 m
- ⚡ Releases a cloud of bioluminescent mucus instead of ink to escape predators
- ⚡ Can turn its membrane inside out like a cape bristling with false spines
Swordfish
Xiphias gladius
Swordfish
Its sharp bill, as long as a sword, lets it strike prey at full speed, making it one of the fastest fish in the ocean.
🌊 30–180 m
- ⚡ Actively warms its eyes and brain thanks to a unique thermogenic organ
- ⚡ Among the fastest fish in the ocean thanks to its hydrodynamic body and bill
Caribbean manatee
Trichechus manatus
Caribbean manatee
Nicknamed the "sea cow", its peaceful demeanour and habit of grazing on seagrass may have inspired mermaid tales among sailors of old.
🌊 0–10 m
- ⚡ Can eat up to 50 kg of aquatic vegetation a day
- ⚡ Its peaceful habits may have inspired mermaid tales among sailors
Oyster toadfish
Opsanus tau
Oyster toadfish
Able to produce a low, sustained call to attract females, it is also one of the toughest fish on the coast, able to survive several hours out of water.
🌊 0–40 m
- ⚡ Can produce a call audible out of water thanks to muscles vibrating up to 200 times per second
- ⚡ Can survive several hours out of water thanks to skin that limits dehydration
Lanternfish
Myctophum punctatum
Lanternfish
One of the most abundant fish in the ocean: every night it rises from the depths to feed near the surface, then dives back at dawn — a planet-wide daily migration.
🌊 10–700 m
- ⚡ Counter-illumination: its photophores mimic daylight to make it invisible from below
- ⚡ Undertakes one of the planet's largest animal migrations by biomass, every single day
Frilled shark
Chlamydoselachus anguineus
Frilled shark
Nicknamed the "snake shark" or a living fossil, it has changed very little in 80 million years and resembles a giant eel with 300 needle-like teeth.
🌊 50–1500 m
- ⚡ Considered a living fossil, virtually unchanged for 80 million years
- ⚡ The longest known gestation period of any vertebrate: about 3.5 years
Bull shark
Carcharhinus leucas
Bull shark
The only large shark able to survive in fresh water for long periods, it has been found more than 4,000 km up the Amazon.
🌊 0–150 m
- ⚡ The only large shark able to survive long-term in fresh water, found far up major rivers
- ⚡ A hunting technique of ramming before biting
Atlantic bluefin tuna
Thunnus thynnus
Atlantic bluefin tuna
One of the fastest fish in the ocean, able to keep its muscles warmer than the surrounding water to cross the Atlantic during its migrations.
🌊 0–250 m
- ⚡ Can keep its muscle temperature above that of the surrounding water (regional endothermy)
- ⚡ Top speed among the highest of all bony fish
Leatherback turtle
Dermochelys coriacea
Leatherback turtle
The largest sea turtle and the deepest-diving reptile known, able to keep its body warmer than the icy deep water thanks to a unique soft, cartilaginous shell.
🌊 0–1280 m
- ⚡ The deepest-diving reptile known, beyond 1,000 m
- ⚡ Can keep its body warmer than the icy water thanks to a unique vascular system