Grim and gaunt, the Hatchetfish gets its name from its unique razor thin body in the shape of a hatchet. You can find the Predatory Tunicate 700-3,200 feet down, anchored in deep sea canyons. It has a translucent mouth-like hood that quickly snaps shut when zooplankton or small animals drift inside. The Predatory Ghostfish is millions of years old and looks like a mixture between a Venus Flytrap and a jellyfish. This Ghost has been around so long even Casper would be jealous. Add large googly-eyes, and an animated expression and you have one strange-looking character. Also, its chamber contains ammonia solution which helps with buoyancy. It has a transparent, balloon-shaped body with a mantle covered in polka-dots used for camouflage. The rare Glass squid, also nicknamed the Cockatoo squid has a permanent Halloween costume year round. It can grow up to three feet in length and snacks on small invertebrates. With a disproportionate body, blotchy gelatinous skin, and a drooping nose, the Blobfish is known for its ghoulish and unfavorable looks. The Blob! This ghastly guy might just be uglier than that old Christmas sweater. These deep water worms typically feed on whale bones, and findings suggest that they may explain the holes in our ocean fossil record that is, they may have eaten entire prehistoric skeletons before they were fossilized. Who needs to watch “The Walking Dead” when you have real-life Zombie worms? Instead of consuming brains, Zombie worms feed on skeletal bones, scavenging the deep for corpses that fall into the graveyard of the abyssal zone. And did we mention it can turn its body inside out? It also controls and regulates its bioluminescence to disorient predators and entice prey. That is, the cephalopod can turn its photophores on and off like a light switch and appear invisible in the deep. Its body is covered with photophores-light producing organs that allow the squid to essentially vanish. With large entrancing eyes and blood red features, it’s not hard to see how the vampire squid get its name, “Vampyroteuthis infernalis” which literally translates to “vampire squid from hell.” Just like Dracula, the vampire squid has supernatural powers. The Goblin sweeps the ocean floor and employs its nose as a metal detector to sense when prey are near, and then – POW! – snatches the target with their retractable jaws and jagged teeth!
![cockatoo squid cockatoo squid](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/88/82/38/888238328c3805f63f242add7af11f58.jpg)
As the only existing member of the family Mitsukurinida, its ancestry is dated back to around 125 million years! The goblin shark is rarely seen and distinguished by its unusual, long and pink fleshy snout – which is enveloped in tiny sensitive electro receptors called ampullae of Lorenzini that detect electric fields. This prehistoric and ghoulish-looking deep sea shark is often referred to as a “living fossil”. It is also able to stun prey with electric shocks and its venomous spines. When the target comes into sight, the Stargazer shoots out from the sand and devours the victim. With its eyes and mouth positioned on top of its head (gazing toward the stars), the Stargazer strategically buries itself in the sand waiting and looking for prey to ambush. While sometimes found in shallower waters, the Stargazer fish likes to use the seafloor as a disguise. Thousands of feet below the surface, marine life thrives in the darkest depths and even resembles some of our favorite Halloween characters! With spooky adaptations and haunting habitats devoid of light and warmth, here are ten creepy creatures of the deep.