Today I saw this post online! It is indeed what prompted my blogsplurge, but it is a great deal longer and better phrased than my reverent ramblings will prove to be. The article is focused on the work of biologists bringing these fascinating creatures to the surface, while I will geek out and talk about my favorite parts of deep-sea studies. :)
http://www.sciencenews.org/view/feature/id/341123/title/Defying_Depth
Obviously creatures that survive in the abyssal zone of the ocean (where the water pressure can top 16,000 pounds per square inch) have impressed scientists for years. Humans cannot venture into such depths as oh, say... three kilometers? And one must wonder how these magnificent creatures (often smaller than shrimp, for that matter) can swim about happily in the pitch darkness without being crushed into nothingness. On another note, hydrothermal vents are one of the most fascinating habitats to me, partially because I think Yeti crabs are tres adorable, but also with the fact that these fabulous cracks in the earth's crust can reach temperatures of over 460 degrees Celsius. This is evolution at its finest.
More backing for the evolutionary argument is that the Ice Age and various climate shifts (*cough* global warming *cough*) didn't just affect life above ground. Populations of deep-sea dwellers have been wiped out several times (according to evolutionary genii) and eventually life came back to these ominous areas, where all sorts of wonderful little buggers evolved in magnificent ways to survive.
Take the hatchetfish, for example. They have function-specific bellies! *-* Rows of tiny, light-producing organs (okay, let's get fancy - bioluminescent photophores) line the undersides of these lovely fish, matching the exact shade of the light filtered down from the surface of the ocean. This, coupled with their speed and dark-silvery scales, makes them tough prey for any predators nearby.
Oh, fish. Fish, fish, fish. Will you ever cease to amaze?
To anyone interested, I found another site on Deep-sea creatures (and hatchetfish, of course) that is AWESOME! I highly recommend checking it out!
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