This Lovecraftian monstrosity may look like an amalgam of dying octopuses, but it’s actually a single creature called a Basket Star, a type of deep sea brittle star. They can reach up to 11 pounds in weight and 70 cm in length!
Aaaaa. <3 Thank you for bringing these to my attention again. It’s been a while and it is one of my favourite creatures. They can walk across the bottom of the ocean and they’re lovely.
Look at how pretty it is. If I had to draw one creature for the rest of my life and nothing else, this would probably be it. Branched limbs and swirls and primitive mouths.
These fish can reach up to 50 cm long… but that doesn’t include their monster-mouth!
They swim around coral reefs, anywhere from east Africa to Hawaii, peering into rocky crevices and coral branches as they search for crustaceans and small fish to prey on.
When they find something, they shoot their mouth out until it’s a tube up to half as long as their body. With this they can ambush prey or vacuum them out of nooks and crannies.
The name translates to “Vampire squid from hell.” It is not a vampire or a squid, it is actually an octopus. The vampire squid releases bio-luminescent ‘ink’ when defending it self to confuse other animals. It also turns itself inside out when in danger.
